CPS and Parenting

In talking with parents, I find there is a significant amount of fear of government intruding into their lives and who can blame them?

I was speaking with someone whose young child ran into a post at a play ground and had a big bruise right under her eye. The neighbor quietly whispered to the family, “What did the school say? Did they call CPS?” The parent responded, “No, lucky it happed at school on the play ground.”

A quick Google search on the subject reveals pages of news articles like the mother who took her son in to check on a cough and had him taken from her because she couldn’t wait for a second opinion.

A mom, a person of color, was arrested and her kids were taken by CPS because she was home-schooling them. Ms. Harris is quoted by the 7 Eyewitness News, “Harris stated, “I told [CPS] that my kids were homeschooled now and that I could furnish the documents if they need to see them.”

In another recent case, a mother was investigated for allowing her child to walk the dog around the block.

Everyone can relate to the fear and injustice of these incidents but what is missing is the time and money it takes to defend against. Most people do not have access to media to bring their story forward and certainly do not have the money to get legal council. The emotional damage done to families, especially the children, is tragic and creates long lasting issues.

Utah recently passed the “Free-Range Parenting” Bill, which outlines what constitutes neglect to help rein in the unreasonable overreach.

According to the New York Times article, “State Representative Brad Daw, the bill’s House sponsor, said he views the law as an “anti-nuisance” measure.“The law says that you can’t just call authorities if you see a child playing alone in the park. It frees up authorities from investigating these nuisance calls while allowing them to focus on children who are actually being neglected,” Mr. Daw said.

I would like to see Colorado make a clear bright line so people do not have to be fearful of CPS and the focus can be placed on children who truly do need help.