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Kidjacked | Jacked Up
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America will never be free of terrorists until we eliminate the terrorists within our own system.
Diane Booth, 2001 Iowa CPS News Archive
The Iowa news section is your source for the latest in family rights news items,
CPS reform efforts, open court demands, abolition of confidentiality laws that judges
hide behind, foster care deaths and issues, legal cases and more... Please
Email Kidjacked
with news and information from the state of Iowa and I will include it here in our
coverage.
[Skip to Iowa News Coverage |
Additional Iowa Resources] |
[National & International News]
Iowa News Coverage
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Iowa Bill Would Mandate Government Intrusion Into Homeschool Households
A proposed Iowa bill would require that homeschool families allow school and government officials into their homes to conduct health and wellness checks on their children.
Introduced by Democrat State Representative Mary Mascher, H.F. 272 would mandate that homeschoolers report in regularly to local public school district officials, or face visits from social-service agents and other government officials. Reads the text of the bill: "The board of directors of a school district shall conduct quarterly home visits to check on the health and safety of children located within the district who are receiving independent private instruction or private instruction."
thenewamerican.com
March 27, 2019
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Iowa Bill Would Mandate Government Intrusion Into Homeschool Households
A proposed Iowa bill would require that homeschool families allow school and government officials into their homes to conduct health and wellness checks on their children.
Introduced by Democrat State Representative Mary Mascher, H.F. 272 would mandate that homeschoolers report in regularly to local public school district officials, or face visits from social-service agents and other government officials. Reads the text of the bill: "The board of directors of a school district shall conduct quarterly home visits to check on the health and safety of children located within the district who are receiving independent private instruction or private instruction."
thenewamerican.com
March 27, 2019
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Iowa Mom Jailed After Leaving Kids for European Jaunt
by Chris Kenning
An Iowa mother who left her four young children alone to go on an 11-day European trip was jailed on child endangerment charges, authorities said on Friday.
Erin Lee Macke, 30, traveled from Johnston, Iowa, a suburb of Des Moines, to Germany on Sept. 20 without arranging child care for her children, two aged 12 and the others 6 and 7, Johnson police said. The children also had access to a gun in the house.
usnews.com
September 29, 2017
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Homeschoolers are under attack in Iowa
by Isabelle Z.
One of the states that has traditionally been more accepting of homeschooling, Iowa, could soon enact a new rule subjecting parents who choose to exercise their right to educate their kids to regular home visits.
S.F. 138, which was introduced by Democratic State Senator Matt McCoy, requires school districts to carry out quarterly home visits to check on the "health and safety" of children who are homeschooled. The home visits will occur with the parents' consent and may entail interviews and observation. The school district could obtain a court order to enter the residence if parents refuse to comply, however.
newstarget.com
February 7, 2017
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Area homeschool coop goes to Homeschool Capitol Day
by Sarah J. Dittmer
Centerville Area Homeschool Coop took its first out-of-town field trip. Fourteen kids and four parents started the trip with a visit to the Iowa Capitol. The day was filled with activities and very special celebrities to question and learn from.
In the morning hours, after tours of the Capitol building and chatting with new and old friends, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds spoke and reminded the families of the hard times the early homeschoolers dealt with until Gov. Branstad gave Iowa the first homeschool law almost 24 years ago. Then, in 2013, Iowa homeschoolers can now teach driver's ed, thanks to the lobbying efforts of NICHE and grassroots efforts around the state.
dailyiowegian.com
April 17, 2015
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The Des Moines Register Must Hate Homeschooling
by Shane Vander Hart
The Des Moines Register once again attacks Iowa homeschooling families and the new freedom they enjoy under independent private instruction.
They wrote an editorial in 2013 bemoaning the change in the law, and a year-and-a-half later they publish yet another editorial which follows a column written by Rekha Basu who balked at the idea of home education, homeschoolers benefiting from education savings accounts (or probably any tax credit or deduction I suppose) and even large families.
caffeinatedthoughts.com
April 17, 2015
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Iowa Students to Wear Heart Rate Monitors
by Geetika Rudra
Students going back to school in Dubuque, Iowa, are going to find it a little harder to slack off in gym. Public middle and high school students will have to wear heart rate monitors in gym class to make sure they are actually being physically active.
"It will be a large portion of their grade, because we want to grade them on what they're actually doing in our class," Dubuque Schools Athletic and Wellness Director Amy Hawkins told ABC News. Teachers will use the information collected from the heart rate monitors to write report cards.
abcnews.go.com
August 19, 2014
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Ted Cruz, stoking 2016 talk, plans March trip to Iowa
by Robert Costa
Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Tex.), a tea party favorite, will speak at a homeschooling rally in Iowa next month, signaling his continued interest in a possible 2016 presidential bid.
The event, which will take place on March 18 at the Iowa state capitol in Des Moines, will be hosted by the Network of Iowa Christian Home Educators (NICHE), a politically-engaged group that has previously hosted presidential contenders. In 2011, Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) spoke at a similar "Homeschool Day at the Capitol," as did pizza magnate Herman Cain and former congressman Ron Paul (R-Tex.).
washingtonpost.com
February 10, 2014
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West Branch Man Facing Child Porn Charges
by Larry Burkum
A West Branch man is in jail facing child pornography charges. Iowa City Police said 22-year-old Brady Verlo admitted to having about 400 photos and videos of child porn on his cell phone, and more than 1,000 images on his home computer.
kcrg.com
January 19, 2014
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Marshalltown Woman Charged After Toddler Found in Parking Lot
by Larry Burkum
A Marshalltown woman is charged with five counts of child endangerment after a toddler was found wandering around a store parking lot.
Police say 26-year-old Ruth Ramirez left five children alone in her vehicle while the wind chill hovered around 3 degrees Tuesday. A customer called police after seeing a car nearly hit a 2-year-old boy in the lot.
kcrg.com
January 19, 2014
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October: Zombies, Legos and spies at the Altoona library
by Dave Wanamaker
Zombies and the paranormal invade the library - Edible books, zombies and the unexplained provide an interesting combination of programs for October at the Altoona Public Library.
Discover the facts and fiction behind Greek myths during our Heroes of Olympus program for kids in grades 4-8 at 6 p.m. Wednesday. Those who enjoy Rick Riordan books will want to attend this program.
desmoinesregister.com
October 2, 2013
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New laws relax oversight of Iowa's homeschoolers
by Mike Wiser
KALONA, Iowa - The sickly sweet smell of cocoa and cooked sugar hangs in the air at Kalona Chocolates, also known as 15-year-old Whitney Hershberger's math class.
Whitney is a homeschool student in what now is a state with some of the most lax homeschool laws in the country. For homeschool advocates, rollbacks on homeschool regulation in Gov. Terry Branstad's 2013 education reform bill were a resounding victory that made Iowa a model for the nation. For those skeptical of the absence of government oversight of homeschool curriculum, testing and teacher qualifications, the rollback smacked of hypocrisy especially because the public education system is entering into a new era of accountability.
qctimes.com
September 11, 2013
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Iowa grants gun permits to the blind
by Jason Clayworth
Iowa is granting permits to acquire or carry guns in public to people who are legally or completely blind.
The quandary centers squarely on public safety. Advocates for the disabled and Iowa law enforcement officers disagree over whether it's a good idea for visually disabled Iowans to have weapons.
usatoday.com
September 8, 2013
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State's homeschool rules a subject of debate
While most of the education debate in the state Capitol this year has been on how to improve teachers and enhance schools, some Iowa lawmakers are focused on a very different educational goal - seeking to reduce regulations for homeschooling families.
Language added to an education bill passed in the Republican-controlled state House in February would remove oversight for some households that homeschool their children. The proposals could complicate negotiations as House Republicans try to reach a compromise with the Democratic-controlled Senate on overall school funding and an education overhaul plan from Gov. Terry Branstad.
abetteriowa.desmoinesregister.com
April 22, 2013
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Iowa lawmakers pressing for tougher homeschool laws
by Lynda Altman
The Iowa Senate is pressing for tougher homeschool laws. Reason.com reported on March 26, 2013 that the Senate is looking to remove the provision that allows homeschool parents to teach up to four unrelated children.
If passed, the law will have a negative impact on homeschool families with working or chronically ill parents. Iowa currently allows homeschoolers to teach up to four children who are unrelated. This provision allows parents who work during the day, parents who have disabilities or chronic illnesses or families with new babies, a chance to homeschool without having to do so directly.
examiner.com
March 28, 2013
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New group will assist families who adopt or provide foster care
MUSCATINE, Iowa - A new support group for adoptive and foster families will meet at Muscatine's Calvary Church,
501 Douglas King Memorial Expressway, from 6:30-8 p.m., the first Wednesday of every month, beginning Feb. 6. This faith-based group is designed to encourage and support families.
muscatinejournal.com
February 1, 2013
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Briar Cliff prof publishes article on Indian Child Welfare
by Heather Craig-Oldsen
SIOUX CITY associate professor of social work, program director and department chair at Briar Cliff University, has co-authored an article on Indian Child Welfare with Julia Kleinschmit, a clinical associate professor.
Craig-Oldsen also is the principal investigator of Briar Cliff's Siouxland Indian Child Welfare Traineeship Project, which promotes the professionalization of child welfare through support of culturally appropriate undergraduate social work education.
siouxcityjournal.com
December 30, 2012
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Foster care families decline in Iowa
More kids being placed with relatives. "I remember sitting in the Foundation 2 office and them making dozens and dozens of calls, trying to find me a place," said Stacey Struve of northeast Cedar Rapids.
Like its counterparts across the country, the Iowa Department of Human Services over the past decade has made placement with relatives the first choice when children must be removed from a potentially dangerous situation. "If you can keep the child safe and the family together, that is best," said DHS spokesman Roger Munns. "If it is not safe, then we shoot for relative placement, and if removal is required we seek a voluntary removal" before filing a petition to remove a child from parents' custody.
thegazette.com
September 13, 2012
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DHS makes child safety negotiable
The Iowa Department of Human Services' child protection division has been engaging in a questionable practice that could undermine its very reason for being.
The agency is "settling" cases with perpetrators it had previously investigated and concluded had engaged in "founded" cases of child abuse, even when none of the evidence has changed. The upshot is that children could end up being around child abusers whose prior abuse history is concealed.
desmoinesregister.com
August 12, 2012
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West Des Moines Man Charged With Indecent Acts With a Child
by Beth Dalbey
Child protective workers with the Iowa Department of Human Services have been notified and a West Des Moines man was arrested Sunday night on charges of indecent acts with a child, according to police records.
Byron Alberta Martinez, 29, was charged after he allegedly fondled the breasts of the 11-year-old daughter of a person with whom he had been living.
westdesmoines.patch.com
July 6, 2012
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Children removed from home of accused Iowa City couple
by Aly Brown
Three children have been removed from the home of an Iowa City couple accused of child endangerment resulting in death.
Jorge Perez, 20, and Mireya Balderas, 18, are charged with beating 20-month-old Marcus Balderas to death in April. Iowa City police Lt. Doug Hart said three children related to Perez, ranging from 3 to 9 years of age, have been removed from the home and placed in foster care.
dailyiowan.com
June 13, 2012
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Child protection requires some changes
Child protection issues in Iowa are complicated, but that's no excuse to throw up our hands.
Iowa's children are counting on us to work through the complexities and find ways to address disparities and allocate resources in ways that keep them safe, while strengthening families wherever possible.
thegazette.com
April 15, 2012
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New Ron Paul Iowa Team Names New 'Homeschoolers for Ron Paul? Members
ANKENY, Iowa - The Ron Paul 2012 Presidential campaign announced additional families joining the "Homeschoolers for Ron Paul" nationwide coalition. Today's featured members reside in Linn, Kossuth, and Dallas counties, all Iowa.
"As a homeschooling mother, I support Ron Paul for President because of his 'hands-off' views that allow freedom for parents to school their children as they see fit with minimal government regulations. I also support his proposal of a $5,000-per-child tax credit to be used for schooling - books, computers, etc.," said Mrs. Banowetz."
politicalnews.me
December 31, 2011
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"They were just suspicious of me from the beginning"
by Jennifer Hemmingsen
It was February 2009 - five weeks before her due date - but his ex's new boyfriend had beaten her so badly that doctors had to deliver the baby. That's how the Iowa Department of Human Services got involved.
Rodgers wanted to take his daughter home with him, but the DHS worker said he would have to go through the agency. She placed the baby with a foster family. It took three months for DHS to confirm Rodgers' paternity. Again, he asked to take his daughter home. Instead, the agency allowed him to visit her. Twice a week. With supervision. Even though Rodgers had no history of child abuse or neglect, DHS would make him jump through more than two years' worth of hoops to prove he was good enough to keep her.
thegazette.com
December 31, 2011
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"Remove-first" policy hurts families
by Jennifer Hemmingsen
When little Shelby Duis was found dead at her Spirit Lake home - with massive head injuries, fractured ribs and two broken hands - it sent a shock through the entire state.
Neighbors and day-care workers had warned child protective workers for nearly a year before the 2-year-old's January 2000 death that the girl was being abused. Then, later that same year, an Oskaloosa man came forward to say that he'd told officials for months his 23-month-old son was being mistreated by his estranged wife and her boyfriend before the boy was hospitalized with critical brain and spinal injuries.
thegazette.com
December 28, 2011
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Jacked Up: Urgent in IOWA
by Annette Hall
If any of you know of or have friends or relatives in IOWA, please get in touch with me ASAP~!!! I have a family that is in an emergency situation that desperately NEEDS help TODAY~!!!
Kidjacked
May 15, 2010
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