Arkansas § 12-18-304 - Qualifying reports of certain types of child maltreatment.

§ 12-18-304. Qualifying reports of certain types of child maltreatment.

The Child Abuse Hotline shall accept a report of child maltreatment if any of the following intentional or knowing acts are alleged to occur: Throwing, kicking, burning, biting, or cutting a child; Striking a child with a closed fist; Shaking a child four (4) years of age or older; or Striking a child seven (7) years of age or older on the face or on the head. A report under this subsection shall not be determined to be true unless the child suffered an injury as the result of the act. The Child Abuse Hotline shall accept a report of child maltreatment if any of the following intentional or knowing acts are alleged to occur: Shaking a child three (3) years of age or younger; Striking a child six (6) years of age or younger on the face or on the head; Interfering with a child's breathing; or Pinching, biting, or striking a child in the genital area. The Child Abuse Hotline shall accept a report of child maltreatment if a child suffers an injury as the result of a restraint. The report shall be determined not to be true if the injury is a minor temporary mark or causes transient pain and was an acceptable restraint as provided under this chapter. The Child Abuse Hotline shall accept a report of child maltreatment involving a bruise to a child even if at the time of the report the bruise is not visible if the bruising occurred: Within the past fourteen (14) days; and As a result of child maltreatment as described under subsections (a)-(c) of this section. However, the report under this subsection shall not be determined to be true unless the existence of the bruise is corroborated. The Child Abuse Hotline shall not accept a report of environmental neglect pertaining to head lice unless the: Head lice is chronic; or Alleged victim currently has sores that require immediate medical attention. The Child Abuse Hotline shall not accept a report of giving a child or permitting a child to consume or inhale a poisonous or noxious substance as described in § 12-18-103(3)(A)(vii)(f) unless the alleged incident occurred within the previous three (3) months. The Child Abuse Hotline shall accept a report regarding educational neglect if the: Report alleges that a parent, custodian, or guardian of a child who is at least (6) years of age and under eighteen (18) years of age failed to enroll the child in school and lawfully home-school the child; or Report alleges that: An act or omission of a parent, custodian, or guardian of a child who is at least six (6) years of age and under eighteen (18) years of age caused the child to be absent from school; The child's absence from school was not caused by the refusal of the child to attend school; The child has been habitually absent from school without justification; and The child's absence from school has had a negative impact on the child's performance at school.