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Congress for Kids and Families American children are the hot market place commodity of the 21st Century. Congressman George Miller has expressed concern about unregulated children's programs and those who refer to them under the guise of "advocates," "parent resource experts," "teen help," and "coaches." "The reports of abuse of these children never stop
coming in." Warning to those who refer to private children's programs: "We also found examples of false statements and misleading representations related to a range of issues including education and admissions, as well as undisclosed conflicts of interest." -Testimony from the Government Accountability Office, Congressional Hearings, April 2008- (Emphasis added.) © Laws Needed to Protect Children and Families from "Program Fraud"Written by: Paula Reeves 2004 paulareeves@paulareeves.com"(Congressman George) Miller, Committee on Education and Workforce . . . said his interest in the WWASPS system stems from allegations of abuse from within the system. ‘The reports of abuse of these children never stop coming in,' he said. The WWASPS has schools in Utah's Washington and Rich counties, Jamaica, Mexico, Montana and Canada. In May, the system once again came under public scrutiny after the Academy at Dundee Ranch was shut down by Costa Rican officials who alleged widespread mismanagement and abuse . .... WWASPS has invited Miller to come to Utah to check out the schools. Miller said he was uninterested, calling such tours ‘dog and pony shows.'" The Salt Lake Tribune, November 8, 2003. (Emphasis added.) Some private children's programs in the United States and overseas have a long-standing pattern of program closures, government investigations, claims of abuse, neglect, and fraud up through and including the present. Those who refer to these abusive programs have no relevant education, training, or education to do so. They call themselves "resources for parents, advocates, coaches, and referral companies" and they fail to disclose known child abuse and the fact that they receive money from program for their referrals. Two notorious individuals and companies are located in Florida and Utah. Yet, federal laws are totally lacking. We have federal laws to protect our children and families from dangerous toys, dangerous car seats, and other products on the market. Isn't it time we protected our families and children from the profitable "business" of dangerous private children's programs? Did you know there are no federal laws that require qualifications, education, training, or truthfulness of the person who refer parents to children's programs? Did you know there are no federal laws to protect children and families against private abusive and neglectful children's programs?Did you know anyone, no matter how poorly educated, poorly trained, or profit-driven, can begin a children's program in the U.S. or abroad?Did you know there are no legal requirements as to how much of your monthly tuition must be used to feed, clothe, and educate your child within a privately run children's program?Did you know children may receive little or no meaningful education while in a private children's program, even while in the United States?Did you know children are moved freely across state lines and out of the country, sometimes from one profit-affiliated program to another, without any meaningful governmental accountability, making it virtually impossible to track and investigate abuse and neglect allegations?Did you know abuse, neglect, and fraud of privately operated children's programs is a long-standing tragedy in America, resulting in life-long trauma for some children and their families?Did you know businesses sometimes seek remote locations for children's programs in the United States and Third-World countries having high unemployment rates and corruption in their governments or little to no regulations to avoid liability? The states in American include Utah, Montana, Arizona, Arkansas, Missouri, Louisiana, Colorado, Mississippi, Georgia and others. The countries include Jamaica, Costa Rica, Czech Republic Mexico, and Samoa.Did you know to date, only Jamaica has refused to close down the reportedly abusive children's program operating in St. Elizabeth Parish, near the remote Treasure Beach, Jamaica: Tranquility Bay Academy, a member school of the World Wide Association of Specialty Schools. Costa Rica, Mexico, Samoa, and the Czech Republic have all raided or forced closures of WWASP children's programs for credible reports of child abuse. Did you know our U.S. Department of State has only recently issued WARNINGS about enrolling children in out-of-country programs?Did you know our U.S. Department of State is very limited in its jurisdictional powers to investigate, intervene, and help children who are abused in children's programs on foreign soils?Did you know children can return home from abusive children's programs with crippling trauma that may result in additional financial burdens to U.S. taxpayers (such as dependency on social security disability income, public health care, mental health treatment, repeated psychiatric hospitalizations, drug abuse, jail, prison, and homelessness)?ISN’T IT TIME CONGRESS ACTED? Isn't it time Congress enacted consumer protection laws for children and families who have been victimized by the fraud, neglect, and abuse of American children--children who are used by private businesses ? Isn't it time we asked Congress to: (1) Prohibit the placement of American children, for their own protection, in out-of-country children's programs; (2) Enact specific federal laws to protect our children and families from deception, fraud, child abuse, and child neglect by programs privately operated in America, and those who refer, that are using our families and children for their own financial wealth; (3) Require strict oversight, training, education, and federal certification for any person referring, "resourcing," "coaching," or claiming knowledge or expertise in referring families and children to programs for children, along with criminal punishment for persons engaging in deception or fraud in placing children; (4) Require official, independent boards with qualified members to review, investigate, and license all privately owned and operated children's programs, including transports and those making referrals or claiming to be a parent resource, while making referrals; (5) Require that anyone operating or associated with a children's program has adequate training and education, including transports and those making referrals or claiming to be a parent resource; (6) Prohibit the fraudulent corporate "shell game" practiced by some businessmen and women of hiding affiliations of persons involved in abusive and neglectful children's programs by simply popping up another corporate name; (7) Require an "offenders' list," mandating strict disclosures of abuse and neglect allegations, severe criminal penalties for failing to disclose, and more severe criminal penalties for any operator or associate of a children’s program who retaliates when a current or former employee attempts to report abuse and neglect to unaffiliated or government authorities. (8) Require free, immediate, and uncensored telephone communications by children confined in children's programs to immediately report concerns of abuse and neglect to parents and outside government officials at any time, creating strong criminal and civil damage sanctions for any communication interference. (9) Prohibit the political contributions by individuals and organizations running, or otherwise affiliated with, private children's programs to ensure the independence and safety of our American children in private children's programs. (10) Require that all written agreements between parents and children disclose the truth of the program's operations, allowing parents time to reflect and rescind any agreement hastily entered into, and to provide for damages within the parents' place of residence, instead of the soils of a foreign country or a place thousands of miles from the family's home, but convenient for the business. (11) Prohibit the interference by children's programs of allowing concerned parents and children from communicating with one another and with the press and government authorities by enacting tougher anti-SLAPP laws. (SLAPP stands for Strategic Lawsuits Against Public Participation, to be discussed.) See article on How the Silence Occurs. ### |
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