Child Welfare
Two former New York city welfare workers have been indicted in the death of a girl who weighed only 18 pounds when she died at age 4. The two were supposed to be supervising the girl’s case, after allegations that she had been beaten repeatedly and tied to a bed. Mosi Secret of The New York Times reports that the Brooklyn district attorney also said he is convening a special grand jury to determine if the city’s Administration for Children’s Services had followed reforms instituted after another death in 2006.
Education/Jobs
Kershaw County, S.C. is using GPS-installed cell phones to make sure a small group of at-risk youth are in school, reports Taylor Kearns of WISTV.com.
A California Superior Court judge ruled in favor of parents trying to use a petition to force changes in an underperforming school district, reports Christina Hoag of the Associated Press. Judge Anthony Mohr denied the Compton Unified School District imposition of a signature verification process on the petition. This is the first attempt to use the state’s controversial “parent trigger” law; click here for Youth Today’s coverage of that law.
The Maryland General Assembly is considering requiring for-profit colleges to pay into a fund that would reimburse students if a school closes or fails to live up to its promise. Childs Walker of The Baltimore Sun also describes new fines for schools that pay recruiters based on the number of students they enroll.
Juvenile Justice
Ohio Department of Youth Services is the incredible shrinking state agency, says Alan Johnson of The Columbus Dispatch. Ohio will close its fourth juvenile facility in four years.
The Nevada Senate Judiciary Committee has approved a bill lthat would bring Nevada law into line with the Supreme Court’s ban on juvenile life without parole for non-homicide offenders, reports the Associated Press.
Juveniles affected by the Luzerne County, Pa. juvenile court scandal can seek payments from a special compensation fund, reports Terrie Morgan-Besecker of The Times Leader.
