DYFS NJ blames starved boys on homeschooling

FWD: Newsgroup alt support child protective services.

This is a response to a NY Times editorial which faults homeshooling as a basic
reason for DYFS, CPS in NJ, for failing to do an adequate job of assessment on
the 38 home visitations it made to family of 11 in NJ who were trying to adopt
an additional child

Subject: Homeschooling, HSLDA and NJ DYFS NY Times editorial
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]  (Fern5827)
Date: 11/20/2003 1:43 PM Eastern Standard Time
Message-id: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>

http://www.hslda.org     Responds to NY Times editorial

HSLDA
 November 18, 2003
 

 

HSLDA Answers New York Times Editorial 

In a November 15 editorial The New York Times argued that homeschooling enables
families to hide from government officials. The paper used the tragic situation
of the Jackson family in New Jersey to make its case. The New York Times failed
to mention that the Jackson family had been visited 38 times by social services
and that nine social workers had resigned due to the obvious negligence. Below
is a response from HSLDA to the charges made by the New York Times.




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To the Editor,


The recent editorial 'Make Home Schooling Safe for Children' called for
increasing the regulation of homeschools because homeschool families may be
hiding their children from government officials in order to abuse them. The
suggestion that the New Jersey family at issue was not discovered because they
were homeschooled is factually incorrect. They were a foster family. They had
adopted children. Both of these activities normally require home visits.
Moreover, this family had 38 social worker visits in the past five years. How
can anyone seriously suggest that this family successfully hid from social
workers because of homeschooling? Nine employees of New Jersey Department of
Youth and Family Services were fired for missing what should have been obvious.
This case is not about homeschooling. If anything, it is about the failure of
child protective services.


It is unfair to take, as the Times did, a sensational case involving an alleged
homeschool family and imply that many other homeschool families are likely to
be abusing their children as well. Unfortunately, an editorial like this plants
a seed in the public's mind that there is a link between home education and
child abuse. Consequently, some people might actually believe it and use the
anonymous tip procedures available to report homeschool families for abuse and
neglect without any factual basis for doing so. Child Protective Services are
obligated to follow-up these reports and homeschool families will face
unwarranted harassment. This already happens all too frequently to families all
across America. More importantly, real abuse will be missed because the system
may be clogged with false reports.


Homeschooling meets the educational needs of 2 million children and is the
safest environment to teach children to become mature productive adults. It
deserves fairer treatment.


Sincerely,


J. Michael Smith
President, Home School Legal Defense Association


 Other Resources
 


New York Times Editorial - Make Home Schooling Safe for Children Nov-15-2003


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DESCRIPTORS; FOSTER CARE, ADOPTION, CPS, CHILD PROTECTIVE, FAMILY LAW, DIVISION
OF YOUTH AND FAMILY SERVICES, NEW JERSEY, ASFA, CAPTA, CHILD ABUSE, CHILD
NEGLECT, STARVATION, IMMUNITY, CASEWORK, SOCIAL WORK, FAMILY LAW, DYFS,DFYS