Lexi Moss’s* phone buzzed on the counter. She glanced at the screen. It was a text message from an unknown number. Lexi opened the message and was shocked at what she read. The message was from child protective services, and it stated that CPS had received a report about issues concerning their family. Lexi stood […]
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Parental Consent for School Interviews
“I want to interview their children alone,” the CPS investigator told her supervisor, “but I’m sure the family’s attorney won’t agree to that.” “Are they homeschooled?” asked the supervisor. “Yes,” the investigator replied with disgust. “Otherwise I wouldn’t even need the parents’ consent. I would have already gone to the children’s school and interviewed them […]
8 Laws Every Parent Should Know
As an attorney with Heritage Defense, I frequently get questions from homeschool parents about laws affecting their parental rights. As a parent myself, I have had many of the same questions. Based on my experience practicing law for over 16 years, and being a dad for 13, here are eight state laws I think every […]
Member Story: Our local urgent care reported us to CPS
Matt and Kristi Murvaul were upset. The nurse practitioner (NP) at their local urgent care said that as a mandatory reporter she was filing a report with CPS about their 12-year-old daughter, Chloe. The Murvauls had taken Chloe there after she had been complaining about redness and irritation in her pubic region. As soon as […]
Member Story: I got a call from CPS after tension with relatives.
The following account was written by a Heritage Defense member family we assisted. Thank you for your help with our recent case. Our story began with a phone call from CPS, who cordially explained that they had received an anonymous tipoff with several allegations. Though the caller was unknown to us, we had signed up […]
Member Story: Our church secretary reported us.
To Angela Lyndon*, that Thursday afternoon seemed no different from most others. She was out running a quick errand while her three children, Logan (15), Noah (14), and Mia (5), were home doing schoolwork. Everything seemed to be perfectly normal to Angela until her phone rang. She did not recognize the caller ID and, upon […]
Is child abuse overreported?
Every year, child protective services agencies across the country receive millions of reports claiming that a child may be a victim of abuse or neglect. Roughly half of these reports are screened in for investigation.1 Of the reports investigated, only a fraction find that a child is actually a victim of abuse or neglect.2 The […]
Member Story: CPS and police investigate an innocent fall
The day of the incident started like any other for Sandra Livingston and her two sons, six-year-old David and four-year-old Levi. Sandra had gotten the boys dressed and was in her bathroom getting ready for the day when she heard David calling for her from the boys’ bedroom. Sandra ran into the room to find […]
How do you define child abuse?
At Heritage Defense, we defend our member families against false allegations of child abuse and neglect. But how does the law define child abuse? And how is it different from neglect? Each state has its own definitions. Some states define child abuse simply as physical harm, while others get more specific, listing actions such as […]
Member Story: My in-laws reported us to CPS
The following account was written by a Heritage Defense member family we assisted: We cannot thank you enough for the services provided by Heritage Defense to our family recently. Due to some tensions with my in-laws, I suggested to my husband that we become members of Heritage Defense as a safety measure. We became members […]