Plaintiffs in a long-running legal battle over Texas foster care have asked a federal judge to hold the state in contempt of court, citing in a motion many “false statements” about nighttime watches of kids and a recent blown deadline for crafting a workload study.
As part of the Interfaith Coalition for Children’s Rights, our Executive Director Sandy Santana and Rev. Dr. Serene Jones, President of Union Theological Seminary, speak out against discriminatory policies in foster fcare.
It’s past time for Texas to ditch the politics of winning and instead put these kids first, writes the Dallas Morning News Editorial Board.
“Michael Leach has a clear passion for serving kids and families and is committed to making the system better,” said Children’s Rights Litigation Director Ira Lustbader, co-counsel on South Carolina’s settlement.
After 8 ½ years, the state has quit fighting judicial oversight of long-term foster care. It’s here, and U.S. District Judge Janis Graham Jack says she’ll hold Texas’ feet to the fire.
“It’s really amazingly bad,” said Teresa Woody, an attorney for Kansas Appleseed. She’s one of 10 attorneys guiding this case. “I think the night-to-night placements haven’t changed. The kids, who are not going to school, who are being housed in offices during the day — that’s still continuing.”
Since the suit was filed in November, children still bounce from placement to placement and are subjected to “night-to-night” stays, only compounding the instability they feel, according to court records filed late Friday.
“I think there is a real opportunity for both Gov. Lamont and Commissioner Dorantes to really bring this home, if there’s a real heightened and constant focus on the known problem areas that remain,” said Ira Lustbader, counsel for the plaintiffs and litigation director for Children’s Rights.
“With the judge’s approval and clear federal court enforceability, Florida DCF now has a real opportunity to revamp a failing foster care system and transform the lives of vulnerable children,” said Ira Lustbader, litigation director at Children’s Rights.
“These children are precious,” writes the Dallas Morning News Editorial Board. “It’s imperative that the state prioritize the well-being of its children over the potential complexity of a difficult task.”
