Friday, July 26, 2019

Another chance to be Heard

Members. We had a very important phone call last night about the work we are doing in DC.
Here is what you must do. I need stories from all fifty states about the horrors brought on your families by child protective services. We have a core group that can work DC but to get in we will need constituents in all fifty states tell their story.
I know it will be hard but we need one page stories and a couple of photos.
Sarah Carter will help. We will print these up in a book and distribute them.
Either type clearly in times new Roman 12 pt type with 6 pt between lines or print neatly. You will put your name and address and sign the letters.
One page. Hard to do I know. Have this done by August 10

Kinship/Grandparents

Kinship Navigator Program Launched

In 2018, there were 82,000 grandparents caring for over 89,000 children in Pennsylvania, so we are happy to announce that the Kinship Navigator Program has officially been launched.  The program will connect grandparents and other kin caring for relative children with local, statewide and federal resources to assist them in their role as parent. 
In addition, we are honored to have been selected to serve on the Kin Connector Oversight Committee to assist with successful implementation of this statewide program. Look for updates about the committee’s work in future newsletters.
Please Share! Kin Navigators can be reached at
1-866-KIN-2111 or kinconnector@bair.org. Additional resources as part of the program are forthcoming, including a website, which will be shared in the coming months.

Pat Toomey Schools Pass on Molesters to other Schools

Conrad Weiser has done this many times
Demanding Compliance with Laws Protecting Children

In 2015, I successfully pushed to include a provision in the Every Student Succeeds Act requiring states to prohibit "passing the trash," the horrifying practice of schools helping known child molesters on staff obtain jobs at other schools - where they can become someone else's problem.
This week, the Morning Call highlighted concerns that nearly four years after enactment of my bipartisan ban on "passing the trash," the vast majority of states have no plans to comply. At my urging, the U.S. Department of Education is pushing states to follow the law and enforce the ban on "passing the trash."
I appreciate Secretary of Education Betsy DeVos taking action to ensure this horrific practice ends. It is completely unacceptable for any state to not comply with this important requirement and it's an insult to children who have been sexually abused.