OK DHS's Catch-22: state faces loss of federal funding if abuse histories made public

wfgodot

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Oklahoma threatened with loss of federal funding (Sunday Oklahoman)
Federal officials are threatening Oklahoma with a loss of millions of dollars if the state continues to make public the histories of children killed or nearly killed by child abuse or neglect.

Complying would mean Oklahomans would no longer have access to the types of reports that in the past have revealed massive failures in Oklahoma's child welfare system that contributed to deaths of children like Kelsey Smith-Briggs and Serenity Deal.

However, ignoring the demand would place Oklahoma's Department of Human Services at risk of losing more than $50 million in federal funds, officials say.

State and national child welfare reformers are incensed — calling the threat “irresponsible” and “unfathomable.”
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There are many other states that have interpreted federal law to allow the release of as much or more information than Oklahoma, [Elisa Weichel, administrative director and staff attorney for the national Children's Advocacy Institute] said.

They all thought the point of the law was “to figure out if the system failed these kids,” she said.
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much, much more at Sunday Oklahoman link above
 
That letter was sent by a regional manager of the Federal bureaucracy in question - something tells me this individual thought that she would make a name for herself by asserting her agency's authority, and instead overstepped her bounds & landed said agency in some very hot water. Now it's just a matter of whether her superiors decide to close ranks & dig in with some lame excuses, or if they'll can her & offer an apology for 'the misunderstanding'.

Either way - ugh! What a horrifyingly irresponsible decision! Is that bureaucrat so utterly disconnected from the consequences of her decisions that she really thought this would fly?

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