Family Rights and Child Abuse News

Caged Child Abuse Survivor Speaks Out

by Tracy Lehr

CAMARILLO, Calif. - A child kept in a cage by the foster mother who adopted her more than a decade ago is now in a unique position to help other children like her.

Cynthia Vasquez,19, works at Casa Pacifica in Camarillo, the same center that helped her when she was an abused and neglected 9-year-old. Casa Pacific CEO Steve Elson said she was one of the worst cases they've seen. " It was horrendous what she and her sister went through," Elson said. Cynthia still remembers what it was like when she first arrived at the shelter. She remembers being asked if she was hungry and getting something sweet to eat.

keyt.com

September 23, 2016

Judge Keeps Courtney Love Away from Her Daughter

by Tracy Pepey

Back in December, a judge stripped Courtney Love of her parental rights and issued a restraining order, leaving daughter Frances Bean Cobain in the hands of relatives.

Now, the judge has extended the order, keeping the rocker from seeing her 17-year-old daughter (with Nirvana's late Kurt Cobain) until April 9. Cobain's current guardians are her dad's mom and sister.

iVillage

February 12, 2010

Taxes Done For Free

by Trarcey Petersen

The Amador-Tuolumne Community Action Agency (ATCAA) wants your W-2 forms. It's tax time again and ATCAA says residents need to remember about the Earned Income Tax Credit (EITC).

The agency says EITC is a financial boost for working people hit hard by economic times. They say many people may qualify for EITC for the first time this year because of changes in income, marital status or family size. ATCAA is offering free tax service and even a new more convenient way for you to get your taxes done.

myMotherLode.com

February 10, 2013

Tenn. Child Agency Head Quits as Deaths Questioned

by Travis Loller

The head of Tennessee's child welfare agency resigned Tuesday under scrutiny of how her agency handled the cases of children who were investigated as possible victims of abuse and neglect, then later died.

Gov. Bill Haslam announced Kate O'Day's resignation as Department of Children's Services commissioner in a news release, saying "She was concerned that she had become more of a focus than the children the department serves." Last week the Republican governor was defending O'Day's leadership, even after the agency told a federal judge it couldn't say with total certainty how many children died while in its custody.

abcnews.go.com

February 8, 2013

Investigation under way on K12 virtual school used in Northeast Florida districts

by Trevor Aaronson & John O'Connor & Kate Howard Perry

Student-teacher ratios at K12, the nation's largest online educator, are nearly twice as high as Florida's state-run virtual school.

A high school teacher working for K12 may have as many as 275 students, compared to Florida Virtual School, which has a maximum class size of 150. According to company documents, K12 provides better student-teacher ratios to schools that pay more per student, though even the best ratios are higher than the state-run competitor's. K12 has come under fire for high student-teacher ratios and poor student performance in Arizona, Georgia and Tennessee.

jacksonville.com

October 6, 2012