INSIDER
Texas sues Biden administration over requirement to provide LGBTQ+ youth foster placements
Read full article: Texas sues Biden administration over requirement to provide LGBTQ+ youth foster placementsPlacing LGBTQ+ foster children in more accepting homes would cost Texas too much money and resources, the lawsuit says.
Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on case
Read full article: Appeals court to weigh reimposing fines for Texas foster care failures, removing judge on caseTexas Health and Human Services could face $100,000-per-day fines for violating a judge's orders. The state wants the judge off the case.
State’s move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battles
Read full article: State’s move to bump federal judge from longtime foster care lawsuit caps years of battlesA federal judge has taken the Texas’ foster care system to task for 13 years. Reforms have been made. Now armed with private legal fire power, the state wants the judge off the case.
CPS investigating apparent Pre-K student assault at Alvin ISD elementary school
Read full article: CPS investigating apparent Pre-K student assault at Alvin ISD elementary schoolThe Department of Family and Protective Services investigating Alvin ISD after a 5-year-old female student said a male student assaulted her in the bathroom.
Watch: Trans man who aged out of Texas foster care says politicians are vilifying LGBTQ+ kids
Read full article: Watch: Trans man who aged out of Texas foster care says politicians are vilifying LGBTQ+ kidsAs Kayden Asher tumbled through several foster placements, Texas leaders intensified their efforts to regulate the lives of LGBTQ+ people.
Texas politics leave transgender foster youth isolated — during and after life in state care
Read full article: Texas politics leave transgender foster youth isolated — during and after life in state careSupport once afforded LGBTQ+ foster kids has vanished and a culture of silence has blanketed the agency tasked with raising children growing up in the system.
Activists claim CPS is housing children in unlivable conditions; will fundraise to create more foster facilities
Read full article: Activists claim CPS is housing children in unlivable conditions; will fundraise to create more foster facilitiesRefrigerators without food, and filthy hotels. These are both conditions local activists say some children across the state are being subjected to while in custody of Child Protective Services. Now, those activists who say the CPS system is overwhelmed are taking matters into their own hands and are asking the public to help them in their mission.
Child welfare officials move to reduce Texas judge’s oversight of embattled foster system
Read full article: Child welfare officials move to reduce Texas judge’s oversight of embattled foster systemThe request to remove several court orders marks the first time the state has made any major attempt to get out from under an injunction issued in the 13-year-old case.
Facing pressure from judge, Texas reassigns workers to care for foster kids in unlicensed homes
Read full article: Facing pressure from judge, Texas reassigns workers to care for foster kids in unlicensed homesThe move is designed to reduce some of the rotating overtime shifts expected of agency caseworkers at group homes and motels, which have been criticized as dangerous for the children who live there.
Seattle Children’s Hospital sues Texas Attorney General over trans patient records
Read full article: Seattle Children’s Hospital sues Texas Attorney General over trans patient recordsSuspecting the Washington-based hospital of providing gender-affirming care to Texas children, which is now banned in Texas, AG Ken Paxton issued investigative subpoenas demanding medical information.
Judge considers holding state in contempt a third time over foster care conditions
Read full article: Judge considers holding state in contempt a third time over foster care conditionsU.S. District Judge Janis Jack on Monday considers whether state’s foster care agency has made progress caring for most vulnerable children or should be held in contempt for the third time in an ongoing 2011 lawsuit.
Sex trafficking, drugs and assault: Texas foster kids and caseworkers face chaos in rental houses and hotels
Read full article: Sex trafficking, drugs and assault: Texas foster kids and caseworkers face chaos in rental houses and hotelsA report from Department of Family and Protective Services watchdogs paints a picture of a roughshod safety-net system that is unprepared to protect its youthful charges from predators and unable to keep them from endangering themselves.
One-third of Texas foster care caseworkers left their jobs last year as the agency continued putting kids in hotels
Read full article: One-third of Texas foster care caseworkers left their jobs last year as the agency continued putting kids in hotelsThe Department of Family and Protective Services has increasingly relied on housing foster kids in hotels when it can’t find them a home. In the 2022 fiscal year, after record staff turnover, more than 1 in 4 caseworkers had less than one year of experience.
For deaf children in Texas foster care, limited accessibility compounds trauma
Read full article: For deaf children in Texas foster care, limited accessibility compounds traumaAdvocates say better accounting of deaf and hard-of-hearing children in the state’s care and better access to translators are needed.
Texas names new head of child abuse investigations after high turnover and heavy criticism
Read full article: Texas names new head of child abuse investigations after high turnover and heavy criticismThe Texas Department of Family and Protective Services’ investigations division has seen record-high staff turnover, with 4 in 10 investigators leaving their jobs in 2022.
New Texas laws favor parents in child abuse investigations as legislators try to limit number of kids in foster care
Read full article: New Texas laws favor parents in child abuse investigations as legislators try to limit number of kids in foster careLegislators also passed bills that will provide foster kids entering the troubled system with duffel bags or backpacks and those aging out of the system with help setting up bank accounts.
Judge admonishes Texas foster care officials, saying they don’t properly monitor facilities housing kids
Read full article: Judge admonishes Texas foster care officials, saying they don’t properly monitor facilities housing kidsA U.S. district judge has long presided over a court case that found Texas’ foster care system unconstitutionally harms kids. Tuesday’s hearing was the first appearance by the state’s new team of defense attorneys.
Across Texas, a slow and sputtered rollout of foster care privatization
Read full article: Across Texas, a slow and sputtered rollout of foster care privatizationLawmakers were assured that outsourcing management of foster care services would fix the state’s troubled child welfare agency. But the rollout of the new model, set to be completed by 2029, has been complicated by setbacks.
After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workers
Read full article: After abuse accusations at The Refuge, Texas will create new reporting and screening requirements for foster care workersThe legislation came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing she had a history of sexual misconduct with children at a state juvenile facility. Coworkers also concealed evidence of the abuse, which further put the foster girls at harm.
Texas bill barring anonymous reporting of child abuse heads to Gov. Greg Abbott
Read full article: Texas bill barring anonymous reporting of child abuse heads to Gov. Greg AbbottHouse Bill 63 is an attempt to reduce the amount of vindictive or false child abuse reports made to the state, but child advocates say it will deter valid reports, too.
Texas House approves bill to improve background checks on child-welfare workers
Read full article: Texas House approves bill to improve background checks on child-welfare workersThe action came after The Refuge, a Bastrop foster care facility, hired a caretaker without knowing her history of misconduct.
Federal judge says Texas’ use of psychotropic drugs puts foster kids at serious risk
Read full article: Federal judge says Texas’ use of psychotropic drugs puts foster kids at serious riskResidential facilities did not refill medications in a timely manner, failed to follow psychiatric orders and, in several instances, violated state guidelines, court monitors documented after site inspections. The lawyer representing the foster kids said it could be “the tip of the iceberg.”
Texas Senate votes to close employment loophole after Refuge foster care scandal
Read full article: Texas Senate votes to close employment loophole after Refuge foster care scandalThe upper chamber unanimously passed Senate Bill 182 after The Texas Tribune reported that a state-licensed foster care facility hired a caretaker whom the Texas Juvenile Justice Department previously fired for having inappropriate relationships with children.
Texans who take custody of their relatives’ kids struggle to make ends meet — and to get more aid from the state
Read full article: Texans who take custody of their relatives’ kids struggle to make ends meet — and to get more aid from the stateRelative caregivers, like grandparents who want to keep kids out of foster care, usually get half as much state assistance as strangers who take in children.
In abrupt retirement letter, an investigations director decries Texas’ “untenable” child welfare agency
Read full article: In abrupt retirement letter, an investigations director decries Texas’ “untenable” child welfare agencySharon Fonvielle-Baughman said Texas Department of Family and Protective Services leadership has failed to support the special investigators division, a unit created in 2005 to handle the most high-risk cases.
Caseworkers hampered by ’90s-era foster care software that the state hasn’t replaced
Read full article: Caseworkers hampered by ’90s-era foster care software that the state hasn’t replacedCaseworkers and foster care providers often get incomplete and inaccurate information about foster kids in their care because of the state child welfare agency’s archaic technology system.
Texas AG Ken Paxton pushes court to reconsider injunction halting investigations into affirming care
Read full article: Texas AG Ken Paxton pushes court to reconsider injunction halting investigations into affirming careIn the state’s final brief to appeal a September injunction that halted the investigation into Texas parents of transgender children, Paxton argued that individual families must provide evidence of harm from the actions of the Department of Family and Protective Services.
Texas lawmakers move to close foster care hiring loopholes and expand rights of parents facing investigations
Read full article: Texas lawmakers move to close foster care hiring loopholes and expand rights of parents facing investigationsBills that would give relative caregivers more money have missed key deadlines to make it in front of the full House.
Lawyers representing children in federal foster care lawsuit rebuked for hiring lobbyists
Read full article: Lawyers representing children in federal foster care lawsuit rebuked for hiring lobbyistsTexas lawmakers and a federal judge say attorneys in the case against the state’s Department of Family and Protective Services should not hire lobbyists using funds won in court.
Texas should tell parents their rights when it investigates child abuse claims, lawmaker proposes
Read full article: Texas should tell parents their rights when it investigates child abuse claims, lawmaker proposesMost reports of child abuse or neglect turn out to be unfounded. But while under investigation, parents with little understanding of their rights or the process often make decisions that could impact the fate of their families.
New family and child welfare commissioner foreshadows change as agency plans to outsource case management
Read full article: New family and child welfare commissioner foreshadows change as agency plans to outsource case managementDepartment of Family and Protective Services Commissioner Stephanie Muth told lawmakers Friday the agency will require a different set of skills from its employees as it changes how foster children’s cases are managed.
How a 12-year-old federal lawsuit turned a judge into Texas’ foster care czar
Read full article: How a 12-year-old federal lawsuit turned a judge into Texas’ foster care czarAs Judge Janis Jack continues to threaten contempt-of-court fines in a federal lawsuit against the state’s foster care system, advocates say the case has moved the needle on reform — but it has come with a hefty price tag.
Federal judge again threatens contempt-of-court fines for Texas’ slow progress on foster care reforms
Read full article: Federal judge again threatens contempt-of-court fines for Texas’ slow progress on foster care reformsThe judge warned the state could be held in contempt of court for not following through with three mandates: youths not knowing their rights, not adequately responding to abuse allegations and still having too many children without placement.
New Texas foster care report shows both improvements and continued deficiencies
Read full article: New Texas foster care report shows both improvements and continued deficienciesIn a fifth report tracking the state’s efforts to remedy its embattled foster care system, federal monitors documented persistent risks to Texas children ahead of next week’s court hearing.
After alleged sexual assault of two children living in state care, another foster shelter closes
Read full article: After alleged sexual assault of two children living in state care, another foster shelter closesTwo girls in the care of Child Protective Services were allegedly sexually assaulted in October after sneaking out of a facility run by the state agency. Advocates say it’s a symptom of the Texas foster care systems’ problems.
‘I want to fight’: LGBTQ Texans ready for legislative session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of bills
Read full article: ‘I want to fight’: LGBTQ Texans ready for legislative session as GOP lawmakers target them in dozens of billsRepublicans are backing legislation targeting gender-affirming care for children, classroom lessons about sexuality and drag shows.
Texas fights federal rule that would outlaw LGBTQ discrimination in state adoptions and foster care
Read full article: Texas fights federal rule that would outlaw LGBTQ discrimination in state adoptions and foster careTexas allows religious groups that are part of the state’s child welfare network to refuse to assist LGBTQ couples seeking to foster or adopt. That could put critical federal funding at risk.
In after-hours notice, Gov. Greg Abbott announces another leadership change for the Department of Family and Protective Services
Read full article: In after-hours notice, Gov. Greg Abbott announces another leadership change for the Department of Family and Protective ServicesFormer DFPS commissioner Anne Heiligenstein was tapped by Abbott in June to serve as the agency’s executive deputy commissioner. Last month, she was out. Now she’s back.
Two Texas Family and Protective Services leaders exiting beleaguered agency
Read full article: Two Texas Family and Protective Services leaders exiting beleaguered agencyThe department is terminating the contract of Executive Deputy Commissioner Anne Heiligenstein, who was supposed to work until next June, amid a staffing crisis. The chief of staff for the agency’s top leader has also left.
Texas should place more foster kids with families rather than in residential treatment, report finds
Read full article: Texas should place more foster kids with families rather than in residential treatment, report findsResidential treatment centers are meant to be a last resort for children in the state’s care, reserved for those with histories of severe trauma caused by neglect or abuse.
Texas’ child welfare agency blocked from investigating many more parents of trans teens
Read full article: Texas’ child welfare agency blocked from investigating many more parents of trans teensFriday’s injunction applies to all members of PFLAG, an LGBTQ advocacy group with more than 600 members in Texas.
Texas’ child welfare agency told staffers to keep quiet about gender-affirming care investigations, documents show
Read full article: Texas’ child welfare agency told staffers to keep quiet about gender-affirming care investigations, documents showTexas Department of Family and Protective Services leaders instructed employees to avoid written communications about the cases and barred low-level employees from handling the investigations, according to internal agency communications.
Watch: With a ‘feeling of betrayal,’ one family flees Texas in search of safer climate for their transgender daughter
Read full article: Watch: With a ‘feeling of betrayal,’ one family flees Texas in search of safer climate for their transgender daughterGov. Greg Abbott directed the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services to investigate parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care, driving one such family to leave home.
Texas child welfare agency fires employee for encouraging a foster child to consider sex work
Read full article: Texas child welfare agency fires employee for encouraging a foster child to consider sex workA spokesperson told The Texas Tribune that all employees are trained before supervising youth. DFPS Commissioner Jaime Masters apologized to the child and her mother.
Head of embattled Texas child abuse investigations resigns after less than a year
Read full article: Head of embattled Texas child abuse investigations resigns after less than a yearDuring Robert “Rich” Richman’s short tenure, he oversaw the investigation of parents who provide gender-affirming care to their transgender children and the mishandling of allegations of sex abuse at a foster care facility.
Judge asks Texas to remove foster care kids from out-of-state facilities facing child abuse investigation
Read full article: Judge asks Texas to remove foster care kids from out-of-state facilities facing child abuse investigationAt least 48 Texas children are housed at facilities run by organizations under an investigation launched by two U.S. senators.
Texas has a law that allows parents to give up newborns at fire stations or hospitals. Hardly anyone uses it.
Read full article: Texas has a law that allows parents to give up newborns at fire stations or hospitals. Hardly anyone uses it.The Supreme Court cited safe haven laws as an abortion alternative when it overturned Roe v. Wade. But Texas’ policy lacks funding and just 172 infants have been relinquished since 2009.
Judge temporarily blocks some Texas investigations into gender-affirming care for trans kids
Read full article: Judge temporarily blocks some Texas investigations into gender-affirming care for trans kidsThe state has been investigating whether parents who provide access to gender-affirming health care are committing child abuse. The temporary restraining order is part of a lawsuit filed on behalf of three families and members of PFLAG, an LGBTQ advocacy group.
Judge plans to levy “substantial fines” after Texas failed to comply with court-ordered fixes to its foster care system
Read full article: Judge plans to levy “substantial fines” after Texas failed to comply with court-ordered fixes to its foster care systemThe judge in the 11-year federal lawsuit against Texas said the state has not properly punished or shut down unsafe child care placement facilities or curbed the rate of children who are sexually victimized while in the state’s care.
Texas Supreme Court allows child abuse investigations into families of transgender teens to continue
Read full article: Texas Supreme Court allows child abuse investigations into families of transgender teens to continueThe high court also raised questions about why the state opened these investigations in the first place, noting that the child welfare agency is not bound by directives from the governor.
Lack of communication between child welfare and juvenile justice systems hurts foster kids, court monitors say
Read full article: Lack of communication between child welfare and juvenile justice systems hurts foster kids, court monitors sayThe court-appointed watchdogs expressed concern after learning that a caretaker accused of exploiting children at a state-licensed facility in Bastrop had been previously fired from a state juvenile justice facility for misconduct.
Bastrop shelter caretaker accused of exploiting girls was fired from previous job for misconduct with children
Read full article: Bastrop shelter caretaker accused of exploiting girls was fired from previous job for misconduct with childrenState records show Iesha Greene was fired in 2020 from a state juvenile facility for having inappropriate relationships with children. The Refuge said it was aware of her previous work there, but it never requested her publicly available personnel records.
Analysis: Texas candidates’ silence allows persistent foster care problems to fester
Read full article: Analysis: Texas candidates’ silence allows persistent foster care problems to festerCandidates hardly ever talk about improving the safety net for kids — unless the holes in the safety net have become big enough to get the attention of voters.
Distraught over orders to investigate trans kids’ families, Texas child welfare workers are resigning
Read full article: Distraught over orders to investigate trans kids’ families, Texas child welfare workers are resigningOther investigators don’t want to follow an order they believe harms families but worry about the impact of a mass employee exodus on the state’s most vulnerable children.
Over 100 children have died in Texas’ child welfare system since 2020, report says
Read full article: Over 100 children have died in Texas’ child welfare system since 2020, report saysMost of the deaths were attributed to “preexisting medical conditions” or abuse suffered before the children entered the system, according to the DFPS report. The numbers are on par with those reported in previous years.
TribCast: Layers of scandal in the Texas foster care system
Read full article: TribCast: Layers of scandal in the Texas foster care systemIn this week’s episode, Matthew speaks with Reese and Mitchell about the fallout from sexual abuse allegations at a state-contracted children’s shelter and Russian threats against Texas’ energy infrastructure.
Judge loses trust in Texas’ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiry
Read full article: Judge loses trust in Texas’ child abuse investigation of foster care facility and calls for federal inquiryU.S. District Judge Janis Jack said she is seeking a federal criminal investigation into allegations that children were sexually abused and trafficked at The Refuge, a state-licensed foster care shelter for victims of sex trafficking.
Founder of state-contracted child abuse shelter hopes to reopen after employee was accused of exploiting two girls
Read full article: Founder of state-contracted child abuse shelter hopes to reopen after employee was accused of exploiting two girlsBrooke Crowder said The Refuge is working to incorporate a deeper employee screening process with the help of a company recommended by the governor’s and attorney general’s offices.
Texas once again temporarily blocked from investigating gender-affirming care as child abuse
Read full article: Texas once again temporarily blocked from investigating gender-affirming care as child abuseThe temporary injunction was issued as part of a lawsuit brought on behalf of parents being investigated by child welfare workers for letting their transgender teenager access gender-affirming health care.
Texas child welfare official resigns, saying top agency leaders scapegoated employees
Read full article: Texas child welfare official resigns, saying top agency leaders scapegoated employeesThe former child care investigations director said there are agency-wide communication issues that led to a breakdown in relaying key information, but two of his staff members are the ones who suffered the consequences.
After accepting her trans son’s hard-fought identity, a Texas mother is being investigated for child abuse
Read full article: After accepting her trans son’s hard-fought identity, a Texas mother is being investigated for child abuseIt took him three years to come out to his mother as trans. Now, under a new directive from the governor, the state is investigating whether she pressured him to transition.
Texas CPS department’s culture kept worries about now-shuttered foster care facility from being addressed, official says
Read full article: Texas CPS department’s culture kept worries about now-shuttered foster care facility from being addressed, official saysIt was also revealed at a special Texas Senate committee meeting that the Texas foster care worker who allegedly sold nude pictures of girls is also accused of dating a child trafficker.
Texas Rangers confirm investigation into nude photos of children at Bastrop shelter but find “no evidence” of sex abuse
Read full article: Texas Rangers confirm investigation into nude photos of children at Bastrop shelter but find “no evidence” of sex abuseAn attorney representing foster care children in a suit against Texas said Department of Public Safety director Steve McCraw’s conclusion that there was no evidence of sexual abuse despite the investigation into the photos was “both surprising and extremely troubling.”
Texas judge blocks the state from investigating gender confirming care for transgender youth as child abuse
Read full article: Texas judge blocks the state from investigating gender confirming care for transgender youth as child abuseTexas judge blocks the state from investigating gender confirming care for transgender youth as child abuse.
State-licensed shelter where sex trafficking victims were reportedly abused ordered to close
Read full article: State-licensed shelter where sex trafficking victims were reportedly abused ordered to closeThe Refuge, which closed Friday, said it fired an employee accused of coercing the victims to sell nude photos as soon as it found out. The Bastrop-based shelter has not addressed the other eight staff members also accused of causing harm to the girls.
Texas’ child welfare agency ordered to investigate trans kids’ families has been in crisis for years
Read full article: Texas’ child welfare agency ordered to investigate trans kids’ families has been in crisis for yearsThe Department of Family and Protective Services has been under federal court monitoring for over a decade for violating the civil rights of kids in foster care. Now, the short-staffed agency has to investigate parents who provide their children with gender-affirming care.
Judge temporarily blocks Texas investigations into families of trans kids
Read full article: Judge temporarily blocks Texas investigations into families of trans kidsDistrict Judge Amy Clark Meachum said the governor’s directive for the state child welfare agency to investigate parents who provide gender-affirming care to their children was “beyond the scope of his authority and unconstitutional.” The statewide injunction will remain in effect until the case is heard in July.
Kids in foster care who’d been victims of sex trafficking endured fresh abuse at a state shelter, report says
Read full article: Kids in foster care who’d been victims of sex trafficking endured fresh abuse at a state shelter, report saysThe children were sexually abused and neglected while at The Refuge, a facility located in Bastrop contracted by the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services, according to a report from a current employee.
Houston hospital pauses hormone therapy for transgender children as threats of child abuse investigations loom
Read full article: Houston hospital pauses hormone therapy for transgender children as threats of child abuse investigations loomCiting potential criminal penalties, Texas Children’s Hospital will no longer provide hormone therapy to transgender patients.
Over 1,000 Texas foster children have been allowed to refuse COVID-19 vaccines, despite the state requiring other vaccinations
Read full article: Over 1,000 Texas foster children have been allowed to refuse COVID-19 vaccines, despite the state requiring other vaccinationsAround 40% of the foster children in the state’s care who are ages 5 and older have not received a COVID-19 vaccine despite being eligible.
“From bad to worse”: U.S. judge deplores conditions for Texas foster kids sent out of state
Read full article: “From bad to worse”: U.S. judge deplores conditions for Texas foster kids sent out of stateAs Texas’ long-running struggle to find enough placements for foster care children persists, more than 100 kids were sent out of state last year.
Analysis: Texas’ foster care problems are clear. The response from state leaders isn’t.
Read full article: Analysis: Texas’ foster care problems are clear. The response from state leaders isn’t.The state’s foster care system has been dangerous to children and embarrassing to the state for years. But with state officials constantly chasing other issues, it’s still suffering from neglect.
Texas foster care children exposed to sexual abuse, given wrong medication and neglected in unlicensed placements, new report says
Read full article: Texas foster care children exposed to sexual abuse, given wrong medication and neglected in unlicensed placements, new report saysThe federal judge overseeing the decadelong lawsuit against Texas for conditions in its foster care system cut this week’s hearing short. She proposed all parties involved, including the governor, “cut to the chase” to identify solutions.
Targeting surgeries rarely used on kids, Gov. Greg Abbott asks state agency to determine if gender affirming care is child abuse
Read full article: Targeting surgeries rarely used on kids, Gov. Greg Abbott asks state agency to determine if gender affirming care is child abuseMedical experts say gender affirming care for transgender children rarely, if ever, includes use of the surgeries Abbott cited in his letter to the head of the Texas Department of Family Protective Services.
Texas officials knew foster children were illegally placed in an unsafe shelter. It didn't end until a whistleblower came forward.
Read full article: Texas officials knew foster children were illegally placed in an unsafe shelter. It didn't end until a whistleblower came forward.State officials knew children were being illegally housed in an unlicensed facility but did not notify the court, despite a mandate from a federal court judge that came as part of a decade-long class action lawsuit against the state on the behalf of foster children.
Pasadena Memorial seniors gifts nonprofit $15,000 worth of electronics for children in CPS
Read full article: Pasadena Memorial seniors gifts nonprofit $15,000 worth of electronics for children in CPSDue to a donation from Pasadena Memorial High School students, BEAR, also known as Be A Resource for CPS Kids, were able to significantly increase their reach this year, providing more than $15,000 worth of gifts. “We basically wanted it to be a magical night then Covid happened,” said Pasadena Memorial senior Maya Arredondo. The class of 2020 has shown time and time again what their hearts are truly about,” said Pasadena Memorial principal Jeremy Richardson. Hetmaniak said the students’ gifts were heavily sought after and brought many smiles to many teens under CPS care. Arredondo said the seniors were happy to give back and said they hope that the children under CPS care know how loved they truly are.
Public comments sought about new education laws
Read full article: Public comments sought about new education lawsThe Department of Family and Protective Services is seeking public comments on its proposed rules to implement two important new laws that strengthen quality early care and education. The Department proposes eliminating a requirement that no more than half of the required training hours can be from self-instruction or online training. Classroom training provides a check to the misuse of online training that can occur if a student borrows the work of another or receives weak online training that does not require reading materials to answer the questions. Research has not yet documented the efficacy of online training for an adult population with minimal educational attainment. You can view the proposed rules at:http://www.dfps.state.tx.us/Child_Care/Child_Care_Standards_and_Regulations/comment.aspYou can submit your comments by Dec. 19 at MSC@dfps.state.tx.usPublic comments should include the following information: