Good show, HSLDA!
Posted on 09/05/2001 1:50:15 PM PDT by Cowgirl
HSLDA News September 5, 2001
Invasion of a Missouri Family's Home Averted
In Lebanon, Missouri, late in the morning of August 2, the Steve B family was suddenly confronted by five law enforcement officials at the entrance to their property. Mr. B called Home School Legal Defense Association for help-fast. Accompanying the county sheriff were two social workers from the Missouri Family Services Division and two criminal investigators, also from the Family Services Division. All five were prepared to enter the home, separate the children and interrogate them privately, and inspect the premises.
HSLDA Senior Counsel Christopher Klicka immediately called the sheriff on his cell phone. His first goal was to convince the sheriff that he had no probable cause to enter the premises. By the end of their conversation, the sheriff agreed that he was there to protect the family's rights. Chris then turned his attention to the criminal investigators and social workers. They were insistent that they be allowed into the family's home to investigate and, standing in the pouring rain, debated the matter with Attorney Klicka via telephone for over an hour. During the course of the conversation, Chris learned that the officials were responding to allegations of social isolation due to home schooling, emotional abuse, and physical abuse-including the claim that the children were chained to chairs and beaten over 250 times as a form of discipline.
Attorney Klicka asked the family simply to go out into their yard and greet the law enforcement officials, allowing them to see that the children were not in any immediate danger. He was then able to convince the officials to leave, promising that additional evidence supporting the family's innocence would be submitted.
Under the advisement of HSLDA, the family obtained a statement from their personal physician indicating that the children were in good health and also a statement from a pastor who visited their home, interviewed the children, and determined that the children were being well cared for.
In the meantime, the family received a letter from a deputy juvenile officer requesting that they bring their children to the courthouse to be interviewed. Although the letter indicated this conference was voluntary, it threatened that "failure to attend may result in a petition being filed with the court." Attorney Klicka negotiated with the deputy juvenile officer and faxed her the statements from the doctor and pastor and other individuals who had vouched for the family, convincing her that there was no probable cause to seek a court order.
After lengthy negotiations with the social worker, she backed off from further demands to see the children. Within the next few weeks, the family received a letter from the Family Services Division indicating that the report was "unsubstantiated," and the case was closed on August 20. The family has been allowed to peacefully continued their home schooling.
Also, why do they come to a house like a bunch of Nazis when we are supposed to be innocent until PROVEN guilty? Family Services has more power than our Constitution and Bill of Rights allows.
Good show, HSLDA!
If the parents can determine who contacted the authorities with the false charges, they should sue for slander and defamation, and seek criminal charges against that person for making a false report.
Could not agree with you more!
In the case of child abuse, the authorities will INVESTIGATE to see if the children are in immediate danger. If they are, they will take them. If they are not, they will leave them. I know a child right now who was molested by her stepfather (who is also her grandfather). They took her from that family after an investigation. Call them anything you want but that little girl did not deserve that fate and I'm glad she was removed.
Family services represent a tyrannical witch-hunting threat to all Americans. They must be stopped.
How much you want to bet the “allegations of social isolation due to home schooling, emotional abuse, and physical abuse-including the claim that the children were chained to chairs and beaten over 250 times as a form of discipline” were submitted by a NEA member?
If they were being honest, this would say:
"allegations of denying socialist indoctrination due to home schooling"
Get the names of every law "enforcement" official involved and sue them as individuals for conspiracy to deprive the family of their civil rights.
This crap will only stop when those who dop it have to "pay" for their crime.
sunkist
One evening there was a knock on the door and it was the Animal Control Dept., saying they had had a complaint that we were starving our animals. I showed them around and they were scratching their heads unable to figgure out what was going on. I told them that who ever turned me in was some idiot that doesn't realize that just because a horse doesn't have food in front of him at the moment doesn't mean he hasn't been fed. I asked for the persons name, and it was a no go, I wasn't entitled to know who had almost killed my horse on several occasions or recover the $1,400.00 in vet bills they had cost me.
I think this began my dislike for liberals, we had a modest cared for home on land that looked like a park and some stranger just couldn't stand it, had to interfere, their spite and jealousy doesn't have a bottom to it. We had what they wanted and couldn't have, so they had to find a reason to justify their own hatred and corrupt emotions in order tell themselves what good and caring people they are, and how their goodness forced them to take action against the villans, (my husband and I) that had aroused these emotions in them.
I'm sure these sick, twisted, individuals couldn't comprehend it when the Animal Control Dept. went back and told them what they had done, I know they had to tell themselves that we had tricked the Animal Control Dept in order not to face the truth about themselves.
Well spoken!
Be patient. That day is coming if present abuses continue.
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