Maine's CPS Strikes Again.

So I was driving down the street today and saw a guy standing at Monument Square, (a local park in the downtown area) with a bunch of signs.

The letters "CPS" stuck out on one of them.  So I parked in the parking garage (at a cost of $2 bucks, BFD) and went and talked to him.

He braved the cold on his moped to get there...

The guy was clearly in a state of distress.  Doesn't know where to turn.  Is desperate for help.  I could see it in his face, hear it in his voice.  The worst thing that ever could have happened did.  Maine's Child Protective Services took his baby girl.

Although I only talked to him for a few minutes, he certainly had a story to tell.

His family only recently moved to the United States.  They are new to the country.  They brought their daughter to the doctor who gave her vaccinations.  Apparently the vaccinations made the girl very sick, so he took issue with the doctor and said he was going to find a new one.

The doctor reported him to Maine's Child Protective Services for Medical neglect.

Guess what happened next...

In all honesty, meeting this guy gave me a grave reminder of what CPS can do to people.  The guy has no idea where to go.  He has no understanding of his situation.  He just doesn't understand.  Alone in a whole new world.  Totally lost and helpless and desperate.

Imagine being this father...

It could happen to you.

www.LegallyKidnapped.com

Are Maine's Schools Safe?

While we all want to live in the delusion that our kids are totally safe while they are in school, and that horrific events like what happened at Sandy Hook or Columbine would never happen here, it saddens me to report that Maine's schools are far from perfect.

For example, I was looking through this months news links regarding Maine kids that I have collected and was rather surprised to see that with two days to go in the month, four school teachers and a boys basketball coach have been charged with sexually abusing children.  Of course, that's just the cases that made the newspapers and one was from 15 years ago, but still...

• Former North Haven coach gets jail time, banished from island for sexually abusing teen
• Former teachers from Jefferson, Winslow indicted on child sex abuse offenses
• Thomaston schoolteacher accused of assaulting student
• Former Tremont teacher charged with 1999 incident

There was also the case where a group of parents are protesting a school because an 11 year old student who apparently forced a classmate to preform sex acts on him is still attending.

Throw in the case form the daycare in Lyman and the do nothing approach that DHHS took regarding that case, you really gotta wonder if it's safe to trust anybody with your kid or if anybody is looking out for them at all.

Fortunately, most teachers and daycare providers are good people who would never hurt children.  Most of them have passed background checks too.  Of course the pedophiles who haven't been caught yet are great at passing them as well, but they always tend to leave that part out.

All daycare providers can now expect to be put through the inspection wringer by Maine's Department of Health and Human Services.

• Maine may hire more inspectors after reports of abuse at Lyman day care

One screwed up.  

All will pay the price.

Gray woman gives birth in driveway by herself

Only in Maine could a mom say it's time to go, pop out a baby right in the driveway and then get up and go to the hospital, all on her own.

That's about as 'bad ass' as it gets.  Go Mom!!!

• Gray woman gives birth in driveway by herself
• Maine mom gives birth in driveway from Channel 13
• Maine mom gives birth in driveway from Kennebeck Journal

Congrats on the new baby.

Duh... DHHS Done Screwed Up Again!!!

Therese Cahill-Low
Maine's Child Welfare Director

So as we found out earlier in the week, Maine's Department of Health and Human Services has recently come under fire for not warning parents that their children were being abused at a daycare in Lyman.

• Day care shuts down amid abuse allegations

Tisk tisk...

Unfortunately, that's what we get when we let idiots run things.

• Maine website to help parents find day cares is riddled with errors

The fact of the matter is that DHHS is simply one major screw up after another.  With problem after problem, including everything from not getting people to their appointments on time to millions in budget shortfalls and a seemingly never ending supply of all of this administrative, public and media scrutiny over Mainecare, TANIF, the Food Stamp program, you would think this is the last agency we should trust to protect our children.  However, Maine's child welfare system rarely comes under the radar, and when it does they don't bother to go talk to the victims, I mean the parents or the children who were saved from abuse or neglect.  Oh no.  They go talk to Therese Cahill-Low or John Martins or and get all of their info from the public relations department.

But no worries people...

• DHHS: Parents will now be notified of daycare abuse

So you can be rest assured that they won't make that mistake again, unless of course you'd rather believe these guys...

• Our View: Maine DHHS misleads parents about quality of child care
• DHHS stumbles on Lyman day care owner’s abuse
• Audio: DHHS conference call on Maine's day care center oversight policies

Poor kids.  Lucky one of them didn't get killed.

Maine’s changes to student restraint rule working, report says

The following article just showed up in the Propaganda Press Herald this morning.

• Maine’s changes to student restraint rule working, report says

I find this somewhat humorous considering that less than a year ago, teachers and school officials were crying over these new rules, claiming that they couldn't control the classroom in light of them.

• Educators push for changes in Maine student restraint rules

And now just look at how many of their butts have been covered since.  Truly amazing.

To tell you the truth, I have no idea what they're worried about.  It's not like the schools or the state won't work hard to cover the butts of whatever teacher or ed-tech uses restraints on a child.

In other words, you can complain all you want.  They'll retaliate by reporting you to Child Protective Services.

Then what are you gonna do?

Parents say they were kept in dark about abuse at Sunshine Child Care

The following story was published on WCSH 6's website which deals with DHHS workers ignoring allegations of abuse at a daycare in Lyman Maine.

• Parents say they were kept in dark about abuse at Sunshine Child Care

My heart goes out to the kids and families in this case.  Those children deserve better.  Those parents deserve answers.  The abusers deserve a good beating and some jail time.

It doesn't surprise me in the least that DHHS workers looked the other way though.  Perhaps they took a bribe or perhaps their not smart enough to build cases against people who can afford lawyers?  Perhaps the owners have connections in high places.  Perhaps they are just stupid and are thrown into the field with minimal training or life experience.

I have no way of knowing why these DHHS workers didn't do their jobs in this case when they'd be so quick to snatch a kid for half of what these Daycare Owners are responsible for allowing.

But I do have every reason to question the motives and the method's of these frauds.  

Stay tuned.

Don't Bite Me!!!

The following news story just showed up in the feeds.

• Ellsworth woman accused of biting child’s face

I know what you think.  "How can that horrible monster do that to that poor sweet innocent child?"

The answer of course, as quoted from the article...

...he bit her first.

This should send a strong message to our children.  It's okay to bite adults because if they do anything to you, the'll get into trouble with the police, who of course will probably turn the matter over to Child Protective Services, who will investigate when they get back from the weekend and probably throw this abuser out into the snow, force the kid and family into anti abuser therapy and be the final excuse for the courts to make sure this father never sees his kid again for allowing the abuse from his psychopathic monster of a girlfriend.

But gosh darn it, that poor sweet innocent child.  He was probably driven to that bad behavior thanks to the stress of living with his parents.  Just read some of comments on this article and you'll see what I mean.

What a bunch of self righteous hypocrites you people are.  Don't be too hard on the poor girl.  She's suffered  at the hands of the little brat too, although granted she could make better choices.  But nobodies perfect.

And that kid could have < gasp! > cooties which can still be passed onto adults.

Maine Kid News Headlines for January 2014

I'm going monthly with this.  Keep checking back.  It will change.

Top Stories

• Aroostook County’s first baby of 2014 born at Cary Medical Center
• York County police plan ‘party patrols’ at homes, sand pits to crack down on underage drinking
• Massachusetts AMBER Alert lifted. Mother in custody, child safe
• Parents say they were kept in dark about abuse at Sunshine Child Care
• Lyman day-care center closes after being accused of mistreating kids
• DHHS investigating its process in daycare abuse case
• Maine's lax follow-up policy penalizes some day care sites, critics say
• Ellsworth preschool closed after DHHS cited multiple rule violations ( ;) They're jumpy now. )
• Maine Supreme Court rules in favor of transgender girl in Orono school bathroom case
• Maine Supreme Court ruling allowing children to choose their own bathroom sets harmful precedent
• GLAD scores major victory in Maine supreme court for transgender students
• Transgender student wins legal victory against Orono school distric

Ayla Reynolds

• Mom of Maine tot missing 2 years presses police
• Mother of Missing Toddler to Demand Answers
• Mom of Maine tot missing 2 years seeks answers
• Protest planned for Ayla Reynolds in Waterville
• Protesters seek answers in missing toddler case
• Ayla Reynolds’ family demands justice
• Ayla Reynolds protest draws 35 to Waterville police station
• Demonstration for Ayla Reynolds

Child Labor

• LePage says children should have work option
• Plugged In: Should 12 Year Olds Work?
• Maine kids, experts not keen on lifting child work restrictions

Accidents

• Lincoln teen wounded in pellet rifle accident, police say
• Lincoln teen wounded in pellet rifle accident waiting to learn if eye can be repaired
• Boy dies after Dec. zip line injury in Mass.
• Brunswick man struck after pushing son away from oncoming car on way to bus stop
• Dad saves son from being hit by car
• Kennebunk student suffered minor burns after cell phone caught fire
• iPhone catches fire in student's pants

Idiots

• Mapleton woman charged after allegedly driving drunk with 10-year-old son in the car
  
• Child, 4, unknowingly took pot in backpack to Waterville Educare school
• Maine girl, 4, found with marijuana in backpack
• Mexico man sentenced for stealing, forging Girl Scouts check
• Ellsworth woman accused of biting child’s face
• NH woman indicted on charge of giving teen drug
• Maine man pleads guilty to illegally tattooing middle school girls
• Man guilty of illegally tattooing girls in Maine
• Maine father accused of shaking baby, causing brain damage
• Augusta man accused of shaking, severely injuring infant daughter
• Augusta man accused of shaking, injuring daughter
• Man accused of shaking daughter pleads not guilty
• Maine father pleads not guilty in shaken baby case
• Injured Maine infant released from hospital; father out on bail
• Shaken baby released from Maine Medical Center
• Calais man gets three years for assaulting 14-year-old son
• Maine woman charged with burning son's hand

Crimes

• Four teenage boys charged in connection with Jonesport fires
• Judge rules state failed to prove accused Lewiston arsonist competent to stand trial
• Surry man sentenced to 14 years for kidnapping teen at gunpoint during BMW sale

Pedo's

• Man pleads guilty to gross sexual assault against 13-year-old in Bucksport
• Former North Haven coach gets jail time, banished from island for sexually abusing teen
• Former MDI teacher charged with sexually assaulting student
• Former Tremont teacher charged with 1999 incident
• Police arrest Newport man accused of sexually assaulting 13-year-old girl
• Phillips man charges with sex assault on child
• Windham man gets 3 years in prison for child porn charge
• East Millinocket woman, 31, tells jurors that male relative sexually assaulted her in 1990
• Nebraska man denies abusing young Maine relative
• Man convicted of abusing Maine relative 24 years ago
• Victim says ‘the system does work’ after uncle found guilty of sexual assault
• Gardiner man accused of possessing child porn on computer
• South Gardiner father faces child porn charge
• Bar Harbor man found guilty of gross sexual assault against 13-year-old
• Bar Harbor man gets 3 months for sexually assaulting 13-year-old girl
• Maine animal control officer charged with kid porn
• Windham animal control officer charged with child porn
• Teens testify in Calais sex crimes trial
• Former Calais man convicted of two sex crimes against teens
• Vermont child caseworker gets 18 months behind bars for unlawful sexual contact with Maine girl
• Sabattus man gets 15 years for repeated sexual assaults
• Former teachers brought up on sex charges
• Former teachers from Jefferson, Winslow indicted on child sex abuse offenses
• Woolwich man who sexually assaulted horse charged with possessing child pornography
• Woolwich Man Arrested on Child Porn Charges
• Belfast man charged with sexually assaulting 6-year-old
• Coast Guardsman guilty of indecent act with child in Maine
• Mom organizes school protest in Harrington in wake of alleged sex charge against student
• Sexual assault pushes parents to protest school system
• Experts: Sex assaults by children in Maine not rare, but treatment works
• Mother of alleged victim in Harrington speaks out about dealing with child sexual assault
• Parents petition SAD 37 board to review policies after student, 11, charged with sex crime

School

• U.S. asks schools to involve police less in discipline
• Brunswick students learn weatherization first-hand
• Casco Bay High School expansion design reviewed
• Parents quiz school officials in Kittery
• Early education, teacher pay priorities for Maine Legislature’s Education Committee
• State installing water filtration system at Hebron school
• Take Two Schools: Add Students of Poverty to One and Middle Class Kids to the Other. Different Results? Usually … but not always.
• OUR OPINION: Maine youths need help easing transition from care to college
• Public Education Is No Place For Equality
• The growing cost of play for Maine youths
• Eliot schools to take students from N.H.
• Police look for suspicious man who asked to take child to school
• 10 tips for homeschool success
• Students take love for learning to new depths
• Thomaston schoolteacher accused of assaulting student
• Child Study Center remains strong despite financial worries
• Lawmakers to Consider Bill to Expand Pre-Kindergarten Programs
• Livermore teacher named Maine History Teacher of the Year
• Students get up-close farm-to-table lesson in Portland
• Town Hall meeting on Portland Public Schools’ FY 2015 budget
• Downtown walk encourages kids to read
• Westbrook elementary school secretary named best in state
• Auburn seeking help for high school accreditation
• Bill Nemitz: Special vote of confidence for Maine students
• Teacher names son after student killed in tornado
• Report: Pittsfield substitute teacher fired for calling students ‘stupid’
• Teacher fired for telling students they’re stupid
• 3 Maine charter school applications move forward
• Maine bill seeks to boost local food in schools
• Westbrook probe into athlete suspensions leads to no action

School Administrative

• Removal of Augusta schools superintendent residency requirement takes a step forward
• LePage wants Rier as permanent chief of education
• Maine Gov Nominates Rier As Education Chief
• Three new school districts at early stages of creation in Hancock County
• $100,000 severance deal with Rockland-area school superintendent released
• Rockland-area school board agrees to $100,000 severance package for outgoing superintendent
• School district faces budget hole, board disagreement
• West Bath exit from Regional School Unit 1 goes to polls Jan. 21
• Rockland school board rejects request to delay business manager’s disciplinary hearing
• Rockland area school board chair circulating withdrawal petitions
• Committee: If Rockland-area school board members ‘can’t control themselves, we need to control them’
• Legal costs mounting in Rockland-area school district
• Requests for $1.75 million to fix Cape Elizabeth schools won’t go to voters
• Gorham’s school renovation vote postponed again

Health and Safety 

• Maine survey: Fewer students smoking, drinking
• Alcohol, tobacco use down, but so are spirits, Maine school kids report
• Survey brings to light student depression
• Social Media Safety for Kids and Parents
• Augusta mental health agency expands services to kids
• Family, friends raising money for care of comatose Saco boy
• Maine examines expanding autism treatment coverage
• Maine girl gets program’s 2 millionth free book
• Coloring Book From Tom's of Maine Reinforces Oral Health And Helps Families Do Good For Others
• Parents warned of teen trend of snorting Smarties
• Children snorting Smarties ‘not smart’ or new trend, but fears of nasal maggots overblown
• Report urges Maine to save health and lives by fighting Big Tobacco
• Top 5 fears about vaccines (and how to rest easier)
• Portland, Maine recognized for work addressing childhood obesity 
• How nutrition, sleep and computers affect our kids' brain
• Some 1,500 babies are born pre-term in Maine each year
• 1 in 8 U.S. children obese by kindergarten age

Outdoors

• Winter Ecology Kids
• Youth fish and game club to hold family fishing day Jan. 18
• Camden teen girls build wooden sled to compete in US National Toboggan Championships

Events

• Brewer students to participate in world’s largest performing arts festival

Protest

• Supreme Court case on abortion clinic buffer zones could affect Portland, polling places

LePage

• Maine’s governor wants to make it easier for children to work
• LePage blasts Legislature’s tilt toward Medicaid expansion
• LePage nominates Rier for education commissioner

Charity

• North Berwick's Pratt & Whitney collects 71 coats for kids
• Family struggles to keep kids warm
• Big Brothers Big Sisters program grows
• ‘It just makes you feel really happy:’ Midcoast girl, 12, gives gifts to shelter animals for her birthday
• Verizon Wireless awards $1,000 to The Next Step for ‘Kids in Need’

Opinion and Advice

• Helping the poor children with education and stable homes helps everyone
• Long-suffering middle child finally gets his own room
• How do you teach a toddler constructive criticism?
• Maine Needs Babies to Reverse Demographic Winter
• Who's the Lazy One, You or Your Child?
• Enabling our kids out of their future