In a story we have been following, those parents who were prosecuted for letting their children walk home from the park by themselves have been cleared of child neglect charges.
From ‘Free range’ parents cleared in second neglect case after kids walked alone – The Washington Post:
Maryland’s “free-range” parents have been cleared in the second of two neglect cases, closing a chapter in a public struggle with authorities that began after they allowed their two young children to walk home alone from a Silver Spring park.
Danielle Meitiv said she and her husband, Alexander, received the decision by letter from Child Protective Services on June 13 as they were about to leave for vacation.
“I’m just relieved to have these cases closed,” she said. “There’s more to do to make sure this doesn’t happen to other families, but for now we’re breathing easier.”
Attorneys for the Meitivs said Monday that the decision affirms what the family has maintained since the beginning: “They are responsible parents who have never neglected their children.”
The Meitivs’ experiences have fueled a national debate about parenting choices and the government’s role in enforcing laws designed to protect children.
During their most recent run-in with authorities, on April 12, police picked up the Meitivs’ children — ages 10 and 6 — as they made their way home alone from Silver Spring’s Ellsworth Park. The children were in the custody of police and CPS for more than five hours, and authorities opened a neglect investigation.
The CPS finding this month said the case will be closed with neglect “ruled out,” according to a copy of the letter provided by the family’s lawyer. The Meitivs were cleared on appeal in an earlier neglect case last month, dating to their children’s Dec. 20 walk from Woodside Park in Silver Spring.
Ad-Free & Subscriber Log-In