Lawrence, KS and peoples careless reporting to child services?

[nativeks77]

that was a gross abuse of power on the part of the principal. Did she take it personally? Wow. Just WOW. What a power-hungry tart!

For Homeschooling in Kansas, all you have to do is give written notice-period. Then you register with the state, print out your form-because they don't keep records (!) so you have proof on hand.

I am just going to state ahead of time that these are my PERSONAL OPINIONS-so if someone does not like what they read here then they can just stop reading it-go profess your love for Lawrence and flame somewhere else

Yea-I completely hate this town. I grew up in Topeka-won't go back there because the crime is just ridiculous. There are real neighborhoods there though-less transient nature and people are better. Lawrence is truly full of bigots and the diversity off-campus is such a joke. People don't mingle outside of their group here. My dh and I are seriously looking at OP once we sell our house for many other reasons. I would seriously consider enrolling them in Blue Valley schools-they are excellent. I wonder if you would be happier in OP. We went looking at houses and were so happy to see more diversity in the neighborhoods we looked at. I was suprised.

Nope. You sure don't have to let an SRS worker in. Tell them to come back with a warrant. Though, I have also been told that sometimes it is just better to let them quickly realize the call was bogus. I do love how you confronted the neighbor-that was great. I bet she had to keep herself from stating to SRS "...and she is BLACK!" Because, of course, skin color explains everything and if you are any shade darker than white here you are immediately every stereotype they can think of!

See, this just validates my concerns of ever putting my kids (registering) them in the ps system here. Most schools in this area of Lawrence are only 5-7% minority. You would probably like Sunflower better and possibly Prairie Park-much more diverse by 10-30% more-easily. It does make such a difference. Living here when we were DINKs was fine-great even. But! Now that we have kids-I hate it here!

I homeschool my children and I live in the Deerfield area. I am glad I have never enrolled them there. My gut has told me it probably would be a bad idea considering my strong views on the uselessness of homework and their little contract they want families to sign! Plus, in the past when I have tried to get information or a tour the amount of idiocy/laziness is beyond tiresome. Why have an enrollment center if no one wants to work or even learn the services their website SAYS they offer-like school tours!

Keep your head up OP! Then, promptly move out of Lawrence-it ain't minority friendly! I know we are moving as soon as this darn house sells!

[MOKAN]

Originally Posted by lllboogyy2012

I moved to the Lawrence, KS area 5 months ago to escape the negativity of Kansas City, MO and I have now had child services called on me twice. To make a long story short, I am a black, single mom by choice of 3 children. My children are my life and I would lay down my life for them. I have never gotten any child support from their father since divorcing and I don't mind one bit. I work full-time and have worked very hard to raise them. My oldest is 12 and my youngest is 9.

The first time SRS was called on me was by the principal of Deerfield Elementary. In Missouri, my family was living in a townhome that was emitting toxic sewer gas at low levels for a year, so our health suffered and my children missed alot of school. When we came to Lawrence I enrolled them at school and disclosed what happened to our family but the principal still singled my family out. So, I decided to homeschool them the rest of the year to give my family a break. We had just been through enough and I had proof! As soon as I gave notice I was homeschooling, the principal reported me to SRS. I'm not getting any deeper into it but let's just say the school board apologized for this gross abuse of power on the principals part.

The 2nd time actually just happened, my youngest daughter very innocently enjoyed playing with my neighbors children, she would go over and play in their backyard with them almost everyday. I went ahead and enrolled them in the public school system but they didn't start school until the day after because their paperwork was still being processed, anyway, SRS shows up at my door today. Saying that someone reported that my daughter was not being supervised, her clothes were clean but too little, her shoes were too big, said that I would allow her to stay out all day and didn't care about her whereabouts, that both of my daughters were skinny, not malnourished but skinny, the kids missed the first day of school and that I, the mother might be pregnant.

Now my daughter only plays with one family in our neighborhood so I knew exactly who reported it. At first it was hilarious to me, then I felt betrayed, angry and hurt.

First of all, who the hell calls SRS because a childs clothes are too small?? Are you serious??? I have a 9 year old and there are clothes that she chooses to keep wearing that might be tight but she doesn't want to let them go. And shoes are too big?? What the hell kind of materialistic hell have I been dropped off in!! Even though I must say, my children have lots of clothes! But since when does a child having imperfect clothes equate as a bad mother? Keyword is, her clothes were clean! And they were play clothes!!! Why would I let my child bounce around on a trampoline and play with a dog with brand new clothes and shoes?

And skinny? Their father is a skinny guy!!! And my girls are both very healthy, do they have to be fat asses in order to be healthy? Wtf? My children are very well fed, I cook home cooked meals with desert every night, not the pizza and other junk my daughter told me they were eating. And really my children aren't being supervised??? I knew exactly where my child was everytime she visited these people! She would come and ask me if she could go, I allowed her to go to make her happy, not to get rid of her. For God's sake I homeschooled my children! I wouldn't mind being with my children EVERYDAY! I don't like that I have them in public school but since I am pregnant and was quite sick with this pregnancy, I decided to send them back. However mainly because they wanted to go back!

And they weren't at school on the first day!?! LOL, can I say, ***** mind your own business! They were slated to be homeschooled another year but I went ahead and enrolled them 4 days before school started, it's not my damn fault Lawrence takes forever to prepare for a new student, the first day of school was 8/16/12, the school called me on 8/16/12 to let me know they could start on 8/17/12! Again, mind your own business!!!! Jesus!

Lastly, what did me being pregnant have to do with anything??? So I'm a bad mother because I'm pregnant? Look, I am 35 years old and yes I am single but I wanted another child before I got too old. Not to mention the horrific miscarriage I suffered last year, that pregnancy was the result of a relationship that ended so I decided since I have always supported the 3 I already have, why not have one on my own.

Everyone has a story and a reason and I really don't care who judges me! I work everyday and I pay these high ass Kansas taxes and I don't appreciate anyone looking at me and judging me based upon my race and marital status. It's bs!

Of course, I went to their house and very respectfully confronted them, of course they lied and the woman of the house who reported me hid behind her husband like a coward and wouldn't even talk to me. I keep wondering, what was her motive, did she not like my black daughter visiting?

I think it's terrible the way people abuse the system to hurt people based upon their own prejudices. SRS is a wonderful agency that helps people and it should not be used as a weapon against people, especially people who don't deserve it! I noticed my ex-nanny discussing how her and her sister would call SRS on eachother because they were arguing amongst eachother. Wth? SRS is not to be used to settle a score or because you don't like someone or you don't agree with their lifestyle. It's to help children and families who are really in need and to help kids who are really being abused. I am a child advocate against abuse and have cried many nights over the reality that children are always targeted because they are small and weak. I would never harm my children or any other child, yet child services have been called on me twice within 5 months!!!!

I have never had child services called on me before I moved here and it pisses me off that me and my family cannot live peacefully because of hateful mean spirited people. Luckily, the SRS worker knew it was frivolous from the beginning. She saw my house, which I literally just deep cleaned because for 2 months I was so fatigued the only thing I had energy to do was work. Thank God I work from home. She also met with my children and was very impressed on how loving of a parent both of my daughters stated I was.

If anyone who lives in Lawrence, KS is reading this rant and calls SRS on people just because you feel like it or you are bored, please take note:

1. All black people do not abuse their children!

2. Clothes being too small and shoes being too big is not a sign of abuse and neglect.

3. Learn the actual signs of abuse and neglect in children! i.e. If a child knows they have to eat lasagna or something else they don't like to eat at home and they see you are having pizza, OF COURSE they are going to want to have pizza at your house! What kid doesn't want pizza over a healthy home cooked meal! Does that mean they are not being fed at home? Hell no!

4. Don't always assume single parents don't have control of their household or don't know where their kids are, we actually do a good job of parenting our kids!

5. Stop calling the authorities and get out and express your concerns for your neighbors, get to know them, stop assuming! Assuming makes YOU look bad, believe it or not. At the very least, ask the child!

6. Get a clue

End rant

In regard to what I've highlighted in bold, I'd like you to clarify:

Were these neighbors immediately next door? 2 doors down? Across the street?

Were you actively talking to your child's friend's parents (the woman and man she "hid" behind)?

Did you ever ask that couple or have a discussion with them and make sure it was okay that your daughter spend time in their backyard?

I noticed your focus of why SRS was called the second time was on the clothing, etc. and avoided the "not being supervised" portion, which I suspect is the biggie and main reason SRS was called. I sense you're missing something and have a victim mentality and a strong sense of denial that blinds you from seeing or even considering that maybe you have done something wrong. Further, I'm sensing your whole set of ordeals might be a clashing of cultures - yours from wherever you came from and the typical middle-class culture you've found yourself surrounded by - and that you might not be seeing that yourself.