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Kidjacked | Jacked Up
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From 1972 - 1997, over 46 million child maltreatment allegations have been made. Only 30-40% were substantiated. California CPS News Archive
California News Coverage
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Local Family Fights For Child
by Sarah Hoxie
Family and friends are working to get a little boy back to his mother. 15 month old Jacob Perry has a cleft palate and Child Protective Services took him away when he was just 13 days old because of what CPS called "failure to thrive."
However, Dorothy Perry, who is mentally challenged, says she was working to get treatment for her child. She planned to care for Jacob with the help of her parents. Now they are constantly in and out of the courtroom. The child's grandfather, Al Perry, is trying to help get his daughter's child back. "We're fighting a never ending battle."
KHSL TV News 12
June 13, 2010
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Surprising Changes in DMV Policy
In the state of California, parents have not been authorized to teach driver education and driver training. Any parent wanting their child to obtain a driving permit needed to have him or her complete a driver education/driver training course.
Thanks to constant pressure from the homeschool leadership in California, the DMV has stopped its practice of rejecting forms from small schools and has revised the requisition form to specifically ask when the form is being submitted by a Public Secondary School, a Private Secondary School, or a Home School or Private School Satellite Program.
HSLDA
June 13, 2010
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Fundraiser planned for Ventura house for women who leave foster care
by Joshua Molina
A group of Ventura County foster care advocates and McGrath's daughter have come together to open Alice's House, a home designed to be a safe refuge for women who are too old for the foster care system, but aren't yet ready to live on their own.
The Ventura nonprofit organization Kids & Families Together, a counseling and resource center for families that have come together through foster care and adoption, is working with D'Auri to open the home to three young women by the end of June. Organizers plan a project launch reception and fundraiser today at the home of Chris Kimball, president of California Lutheran University. The project will be funded through grants and private donations.
Ventura County Star
June 12, 2010
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State Parks Ballot Measure
by B.J. Hansen
A ballot measure that would create an $18 vehicle licensing surcharge has garnered the needed signatures to qualify for the November election.
If approved by voters, the fee would help fund California's state parks and wildlife programs. It would also allow California residents to enter state parks for free.
My Motherlode
June 11, 2010
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County approves funds to help place foster children with family
by Tom Joyce
When you crunch the numbers, the outlook for children placed with strangers for foster care isn't encouraging, according to York County Human Services Director Bev Mackereth.
Studies by the federal government show that nationally, only 20 percent of the young adults who make it through foster care report that they're "doing well." The remaining 80 percent are more likely to end up incarcerated, homeless or dead.
Mackereth said those findings led to a change in federal law requiring agencies such as hers to make an effort to connect foster children with family members, because children do better statistically in those circumstances. The York County commissioners approved grant money to pay for trainers from California to travel to York County and instruct county employees on how to seek out children's extended families.
The York Daily Record
June 9, 2010
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Yosemite Waiving Fees
by B.J. Hansen
Yosemite, CA -- Yosemite National Park has decided to waive entrance fees this Saturday and Sunday, June 5-6.
The decision was made by Park Superintendent Don Neubacher in celebration of National Trails Day. National Trails Day is intended to inspire hikers to seek out their favorite trails on public lands across America.
My Motherlode
June 3, 2010
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Foster couple accused of stealing child funds
by Rob McMillan
A foster couple is accused of taking in thousands of dollars meant for child care and spending it on themselves.
They are also accused of trying to collect more money after the children had left their care. Over the past six years, Purcell and Laverne Johnson were trusted with taking care of nearly 90 foster children in their Riverside County foster home. For that, they were paid a salary of $144,000 a year.
ABC News 7
June 2, 2010
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Foster Care Month #5
by Linda Watkins-Bennett
California has the unprecedented potential to capitalize on a federal law that would take foster care to a new level, where the focus can be on "well being" ...instead of just safety and a place to live.
Daniel Heimple is the project director for Fostering Media Connections, a non profit working to promote the opportunity states have, to take advantage of the federal 'fostering connections to success act of 2008." That law provides matching federal funds to expand efforts to place foster children with relatives, and extend care to age 21.
KHSL TV News 12
May 29, 2010
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Opinion: Restoring families
by Cynthia Godsoe
Laws permitting reinstatement of parental rights are admirable, but in many cases the rights shouldn't have been terminated in the first place.
New York state will likely soon enact groundbreaking legislation to restore parental rights in limited cases to neglectful parents who have been rehabilitated. Only a few other states, including California and Washington, have enacted similar laws to help restore families. Although New York Bill A8524/S03868 is necessary to help some of the many children waiting in foster care "limbo" with no prospects of adoption to return to safe and loving families, it wouldn't need to exist in a world that cared more about keeping families safe and together.
The National Law Journal
May 28, 2010
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Library foster kids' mission in life
by Shirlee Smith
Kimberly Felder, a recruiter with the Kinship Center, helps a family believe in the foster care system. Don't get me wrong - my unholy experiences with the Los Angeles County Department of Children and Family Services will be with me forever.
But Felder is with a private agency. From the sounds of things, for those wanting to answer the call of children needing a family, a foster-care agency appears to be the smart route to travel. Rhonda Sciortino, author of "From Foster Care to Millionaire," was mainly raised by abusive grandparents - a "kinship care" arrangement...
Pasadena Star-News
May 28, 2010
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Adventures in Homeschooling
by Ken Ashford
Kevin and Elizabeth Schatz face one count of murder, one count of torture and one count of child abuse.
The torture count alleges that the parents beat their 11-year-old adopted daughter so severely she ended up in the hospital with kidney failure.
The Seventh Sense
May 27, 2010
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Schatz couple in court today
A Paradise couple accused of beating their 7-year-old adopted daughter to death will be in court this morning for a scheduled preliminary hearing.
According to Butte County District Attorney Mike Ramsey, the parents appeared to be following the methods of Michael and Debi Pearl, founders of a controversial fundamentalist religious group, No Greater Joy Ministries.
Paradise Post
May 25, 2010
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Heads Up, California Voters!
by Diane Flynn Keith
A Vote for Leonard Martin is a Vote Against Homeschooling! On June 8th, California voters will elect a new Superintendent of Public Instruction.
"There has also been a tremendous amount of fraud connected with home schooling. Corporate organizations have sprung up to drain precious taxpayer dollars from the state budget to "supervise" home schooling. That has been to the detriment of those children, who by necessity, must be home schooled."
Homefires Journal - Kindling a Love of Learning
May 24, 2010
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Mary's House helps young women transition out of foster care system
by Rose Marie Scott-Blair
ESCONDIDO -- If you've been in foster care all your life and are suddenly on your own, what happens next?
About 450 young adults in San Diego County face this quandary every year. They turn 18 and are "aged out" of the system. But six lucky girls wind up in Mary's House in west Escondido, the only transitional housing in the county with a family-style setting.
Sign On San Diego
May 23, 2010
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Baby girl placed into protective custody following abduction ordeal
by Daniel Tedford
EL MONTE - A baby abducted Wednesday by her mother's ex-girlfriend has been placed in protective custody by the Los Angeles Department of Children and Family Services.
The baby was set to be returned to her mother, Connie Walters, until police discovered Walters had a warrant from an outstanding misdemeanor drug case in Whittier, police said. Police arrested Walters, 35.
Whittier Daily News
May 21, 2010
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Asylum Surprise
by Sarah Eekhoff Zylstra
A German Christian family received asylum in Tennessee after being severely penalized for illegally homeschooling their children in Germany.
While private and public schools are allowed in Germany, homeschooling is not. The Romeike family was threatened on multiple occasions, fined about $10,000, and had three children forcibly removed from home and driven to school by police, according to the brief.
Christianity Today
May 18, 2010
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Calaveras County Will Receive FEMA Funding
by B.J. Hansen
San Andreas, CA -- A combined $45 million will be available to help cover repair and cleanup costs for six California counties hit hard by the winter storms.
Grants are available to the counties of Calaveras, Imperial, Los Angeles, Riverside, San Bernardino and Siskiyou thanks to an emergency declaration of President Obama.
My Motherlode
May 12, 2010
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Smart Meters Inaccurate
by B.J. Hansen
Sacramento, CA -- PG&E now admits that as many as 23,000 customers in its smart-meter program may have received inaccurate utility bills.
Senior company officials also said they had responded poorly to consumer complaints, and would work to restore trust in the program.
My Motherlode
May 11, 2010
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Parents Of Murder Victims Spend Mother's Day Protesting
by Kevin L. Jones
Standing on the steps of San Francisco City Hall Sunday afternoon, a group of parents who call themselves "the Healing Circle" called for an end to street violence while being surrounded by portraits of their lost ones and other mementos.
The mothers and fathers of the Healing Circle share a bond in their personal experience and their loss. "That was my only son. It's very hard for me because now I don't have a son to bring me those flowers and candy on Mothers Day," said Francia Powers, mother of homicide victim.
KTVU San Francisco
May 9, 2010
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Baby born under Napa bridge gets a home
by Alisha Wyman
Napa County Child Welfare Services has taken custody of a baby who was born under the Soscol Bridge April 12.
Due to confidentiality laws, Napa County Child Welfare Services officials were unable to say where the baby is, said Linda Canan, the director of the agency. In general, if a parent is unable or unwilling to care for a child, the agency looks for relatives first. If no one is available, the child goes into the foster care system.
The Weekly Calistogan
May 8, 2010
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County eyes smaller budget with fewer workers, services
by Mark Walker
San Diego County will make more cuts in child welfare and substance abuse services if the Board of Supervisors agrees to adopt a $4.9 billion budget for the fiscal year beginning July 1.
Steuer said the budget includes a $7.2 million reduction in substance abuse services and a $5.2 million cut in child welfare programs primarily the result of cuts in state funding. The reduction in child welfare services is expected to result in larger caseloads, increased response times and difficulties in meeting court-ordered timelines for handling those cases, she said.
North County Times
May 8, 2010
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Whose country is it, anyway?
by Michelle Malkin
A group of California students who dared to wear the American flag on Cinco de Mayo learned a hard lesson about the corruption of citizenship and sovereignty this week.
They were sent home for their show of U.S. patriotism. Because while flying the colors of reconquista is perfectly acceptable, flying Old Glory is practically a hate crime. Some Mexican-American students KTVU spoke with said they thought wearing red, white and blue on Cinco de Mayo was disrespectful.
May 6, 2010
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Governor Vetoes Smoking Ban
by B.J. Hansen
Sacramento, CA -- Legislation that would have affected local state parks was vetoed by Governor Schwarzenegger.
The Senate and Assembly had both passed a ban on smoking at all state parks and beaches, but the Governor vetoed it, saying that it crossed the line on government intrusion.
My Motherlode
May 4, 2010
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California Supreme Court to Decide: 'Paper or Plastic'
by Ben Buchwalter
Diving into the "paper or plastic" war, the California Supreme Court will decide whether it's legal for a community near Los Angeles to outlaw the use of plastic bags at checkout counters.
When Manhattan Beach banned the bags in July 2008, the Save the Plastic Bag Coalition was quick to mobilize. Somewhere along the line, public opinion landed on the side of paper bags, which are easier to recycle than their plastic counterparts. But a 2007 investigation by the Washington Post revealed that paper is just as harmful - and sometimes more so - than plastic for the environment.
Change
May 1, 2010
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Soquel man sentenced to life in prison for molestation
by Alia Wilson
SANTA CRUZ - After a motion to appeal his conviction was denied, a Soquel man convicted in 2009 of molesting a girl he was close to was sentenced to 68 years and eight months in prison Friday.
Anthony Poletti,36, was sentenced for 15 of 17 charges, including multiple counts of lewd acts with a child, aggravated sexual assault and rape. Prosecutor Ross Taylor of the District Attorney's Office said Poletti abused the girl for about five years, beginning when she was 10. After a couple of years, the girl told a friend about the abuse and eventually someone made an anonymous report to Child Protective Services, which prompted an investigation by Sheriff's Office sex crimes detectives.
San Jose Mercury News
April 30, 2010
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