Blogs by Deborah K. Frontiera
Fighting CPS
7/23/2012 6:10:19 AM
The purpose of this blog is to provide updates on some of the cases I reported in my book (Fighting CPS: Guilty Until Proven Innocent of Child Protective Services Charges ISBN 9-780-9800061-6-2) that had not been resolved when the book went to press, and to report other cases where CPS is not working up to par. I’d also like to hear about cases in which Child Protective Services did the right thing so those cases can serve as examples of what should be done. Occasionally, I will report helpful tips and web sites with advice on fighting CPS.
To comment on this blog, or to tell your story, email Deborah Frontiera at frontiera.fightingcps.deborah.gmail.com
This blog will post new material two times a month, instead of every week. Look for the next post Aug. 13, 2012.
Special Family Note:
Our grandson had a night of multiple seizures on July 16, 2012. His parents took him to the recently completed “West Campus” of Texas Children’s Hospital which is much closer to their home than the “main” campus in Houston’s Medical Center area, and James’s main neurologist would have instant access to the records. While exhausted from the long night—they were in the Emergency Room until 3 a.m., my daughter was pleased to report that this time no one accused them of anything. (Their trip to Texas Children’s Emergency room in 2007 unleashed the whole nightmare.) Perhaps this time, they actually read their own records. Or perhaps they have amended their procedures since 2007. Or, as one family friend joked, perhaps they read my book. At any rate, it was discovered that James didn’t have enough of his medication in his system—he’s been through a growth spurt since his last visit with his neurologist when he began a new medication. He’s fine now—back to “normal”—with an increased dosage.
Kids in Foster Care Behind in Education, Too
The Texas Supreme Court’s Children’s Commission findings are reported: “Foster children tend to score lower on achievement tests, are more often required to repeat a grade, drop out at higher rates and carry higher risks of homelessness and incarceration.” (Houston Chronicle, May 4, 2012, pg B-1) The study asked the court to appoint a special committee to recommend improvements in the system.
I wonder how much time and money it took to reach that conclusion, which was probably obvious to anyone involved in the system. (It rather reminds me of the time while I was still teaching for Houston Independent School District when the superintendent at the time spent a quarter of a million for some committee full of VIPs to research why so many kids reach second grade unable to read. That committee, after several thousand pages of research reports and many months of meetings concluded that kids needed to learn phonics! Duh! Any primary teacher could have told them that for free if they had only asked us.)
So now this report from this committee to the Supreme Court’s Children’s Commission recommends that judges in family courts: review school changes; monitor how quickly children are enrolled in school when placed in foster care and how quickly records are transferred; identify the person who is to make educational decisions; explain in court if “it” tried to keep a child in the current school and why or why not; start post-high school educational planning when a child is fourteen; create ways to identify and track when a foster child changes schools.
The article contained a lot of idealistic quotes from various sources. All sounds lofty and good, but the question is: Will they actually DO anything?
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More Blogs by Deborah K. Frontiera
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, May 12, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, April 21, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, April 07, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, March 24, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, March 10, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, February 24, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, February 10, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, January 27, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Monday, January 14, 2013
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, December 23, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, December 09, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, November 25, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, November 11, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, October 28, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, September 17, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, September 09, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, August 26, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, August 12, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, August 12, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, July 23, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, July 08, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, June 24, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, June 11, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, May 21, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Sunday, May 06, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, April 23, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, April 09, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, March 26, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, March 12, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, February 27, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, February 13, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Wednesday, February 01, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, January 23, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, January 16, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, January 09, 2012
• Fighting CPS - Monday, December 19, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, December 12, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, December 05, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, November 28, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, November 21, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, November 14, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, November 07, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, October 31, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, October 24, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, October 17, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, October 10, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, October 03, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, September 26, 2011
• Fighting CPS - Monday, September 19, 2011
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