ACTIVE SEARCH SD - Serenity Dennard, 9, Children’s Home Society, Pennington County, 3 Feb 2019 #2

[PayrollNerd]

There is not cell service there

There could be if they had a few engineers & electricians volunteer their expertise and build a mini local cell tower on the property. It can be done with antennas bouncing off the main cell tower. I realize its not a simple set up but it is doable. I bet they’re using some form of walkie talkie system now. They can call it the Serenity Signal and no doubt county support and approval would be pretty smooth.

 

[SkipperKey3]

The time line may indeed be skewed for whatever reason. What I don't understand is the idea that Serenity was hanging around the cattle gap when she was spied by ... a believable witness? Then she bolted up the hill? Maybe it's just because we aren't privy to all the information but my hinky meter has been going off since day one. This isn't going to have a happy ending. May God grant that I'm wrong.

I don't think they said she was just "hanging around". My understanding is that they said she was on the road by the cattle guard walking north. Nor has anybody said she "bolted" after that. She just went out of site of the car.

 

[JaneEyre]

Regarding tracking devices - phones can be left behind. A kid who wants to run away and not be found is just going to ditch the phone. Today’s 9 year olds understand that phones can be tracked, I think.

 

[sodakblackbird]

For Serenity:

I've always loved the hush of February snow,
It mutes traffic sounds,
It cleanses the soul, brings a peace.
It's Serenity.
All the wisdom, all the pain
A million questions unanswered,
But still Serenity.
Hope beyond hope,
Serenity.

 

[Jim_M]

Regarding tracking devices - phones can be left behind. A kid who wants to run away and not be found is just going to ditch the phone. Today’s 9 year olds understand that phones can be tracked, I think.

It’s a shame that it takes an event of this magnitude to get our thoughts onto possible tracking options. To prompt our collective, “how to not let something like this happen again.”

So many of our laws, and alerts, have followed on the heals of similar tragic happenings.

We can hope this will never happen again in the future. We can also try to minimize the possibility.

 

[Catmommy]

For Serenity:

I've always loved the hush of February snow,
It mutes traffic sounds,
It cleanses the soul, brings a peace.
It's Serenity.
All the wisdom, all the pain
A million questions unanswered,
But still Serenity.
Hope beyond hope,
Serenity.

Believe it or not, this beautiful beautiful sentiment brought me a sense of ... serenity.

Thank you, Soda.

And God speed, Serenity

 

[human]

Just wondering about the steps or incredible hoops that would be jumped through before a residential school is considered. Most school districts have EBD classrooms. Would placement in an EBD classroom be done first?

Some outside behavioral/mental health agencies can coordinate intensive in-home services to help families. People can be offered in-home help for evenings and weekends. If a residential setting is approved, does it mean these other options have been tried first?

Probably. I posted the rules of least restrictive environment which means a child with and Individualized Education Plan (IEP) should be in the environment which is most like regular education. Residebtial is the most restrictive and would be used going up the hierarchy as you
stated.

However, if a child has no IEP, a parent can choose to privately pay for a placement. Itnis very expensive, Several thousand dollars a month

 

[human]

Hmm, I wonder if additional services were available and potentially covered due to Serenity being adopted?

It looks like SD has an Adoption Subsidy Program. South Dakota Adoption Subsidy Program

That does not deal with school placement

 

[human]

No one wants to give special needs services away. They are expensive. There is a lot of testing that has to meet state and federal laws.

 

[human]

Regarding tracking devices - phones can be left behind. A kid who wants to run away and not be found is just going to ditch the phone. Today’s 9 year olds understand that phones can be tracked, I think.

Believe me, no one wants kids to have cell phones in school or all of the time. A nightmare!

 

[Eleanor Rigby]

Believe me, no one wants kids to have cell phones in school or all of the time. A nightmare!

Cell phones issued to children and teens would not be the right method for tracking runners in a residential school setting, and would definitely cause all kinds of other problems. I think their "trackers" should be unknown to the students precisely so they don't remove it before running. I don't know, however, what the best method would be. I'm sure experts would know. Small, waterproof Fit-Bits that lock on wrists? Kids could use them as part of a fitness program without being told they have GPS capability. The GPS shoe insoles might be a way to surreptitiously put trackers on kids. There must be something more suitable than either cell phones or ankle tethers. All JMO.

 

[ilovepierre]

You can buy wristbands for children that are also GPS tracking devices.
They are mostly used for children with ASD with a history of wandering.

IMO

 

[mrbeansmom]

Just wondering about the steps or incredible hoops that would be jumped through before a residential school is considered. Most school districts have EBD classrooms. Would placement in an EBD classroom be done first?

Some outside behavioral/mental health agencies can coordinate intensive in-home services to help families. People can be offered in-home help for evenings and weekends. If a residential setting is approved, does it mean these other options have been tried first?

In my own case, we went through all of those. And, yes, residential typically means many other options have been tried unsuccessfully. The trouble was, our child has Reactive Attachment Disorder, so behavior at home was not the same everywhere else, which is often the case with many kids with behavioral/mental health disorders. We went through every agency there is in our area (and San Diego County is HUGE) over the period of about 4 years before we were finally successful in getting our child placed in an out of state residential program that specializes in kids that have the same disorder. The school district would not help us because our child did not behave the same way at school. Although they eventually placed our child in the county mental health school, they still saw no need to remove our child from the home where this child was threatening the lives of family members. Outside agency help in evenings amounted to an hour or so after school 2-3 times per week, and weekend help does not exist. I do not know what the availability of help is in the area Serenity was from, but if it was anything like ours, it may not have been close to enough. And I don't know what Serenity's diagnosis is or what they went through to get her there. I just know, from associating with many parents just like me who have adopted children with big issues, we have to literally move mountains to get our kids help and, once we've been lucky enough to obtain residential treatment......well, I know of no one who has wanted to get them back out and bring them home again before serious healing has taken place.

 

[mrbeansmom]

However, if a child has no IEP, a parent can choose to privately pay for a placement. Itnis very expensive, Several thousand dollars a month

The one our child is at is over $11,000 per month, and that's an inexpensive one.

 

[mrbeansmom]

That does not deal with school placement

It does if you go residential. Let me rephrase; AAP can determine where you place your child. Some residential programs use their local public schools, but some have their own schools on campus. Some charge separately for the school, and some work tings in such a way that the school is paid for through other means. AAP workers know what schools do this and what ones don't. One of the residential programs our child was in locally had their own school, but sent most of the kids to local schools in the area. Those who stayed at the school on campus were covered by their individual districts.

 

[human]

I don’t think people realize what children in residential placement may be like. They may smear feces on walls. They may pee in closets.

They may have sreaming meltdowns. They may threaten faculty, staff, other children and family members.

The behaviors are usually very severe.

I cannot believe fire codes would allow locked doors that can only be opened with some kind of card. That would shock me if that was true in a residential school.

 

[human]

It does if you go residential. Let me rephrase; AAP can determine where you place your child. Some residential programs use their local public schools, but some have their own schools on campus. Some charge separately for the school, and some work tings in such a way that the school is paid for through other means. AAP workers know what schools do this and what ones don't. One of the residential programs our child was in locally had their own school, but sent most of the kids to local schools in the area. Those who stayed at the school on campus were covered by their individual districts.

So the agency places children in residential without educational testing? Is the agency in loco parentis?

 

[ilovechili]

I don’t think people realize what children in residential placement may be like. They may smear feces on walls. They may pee in closets.

They may have sreaming meltdowns. They may threaten faculty, staff, other children and family members.

The behaviors are usually very severe.

I cannot believe fire codes would allow locked doors that can only be opened with some kind of card. That would shock me if that was true in a residential school.

I agree, I have no doubt believing these behaviors and sadly, I will tell you why--because that is what goes on in elementary, middle and high schools now, public ones. Smearing of feces, peeing in seats and even worse. I have heard it straight from the teachers and staff. So I am just saying it is not only an issue at these types of facilities. I have asked those that say this what they do about it or can do about it and it sounds like very little.

 

[mrbeansmom]

So the agency places children in residential without educational testing? Is the agency in loco parentis?

My child has never had educational testing by county adoptions, period. They don't care. They tell you that education of your child is not their concern. They basically pay for residential in an effort to keep you from returning the child to the system. They make it very clear, however, that they do NOT pay for any of the child's education while in residential. They do not act as the parent. The parent still maintains full custody. They only pay the bill.

 

[human]

I agree, I have no doubt believing these behaviors and sadly, I will tell you why--because that is what goes on in elementary, middle and high schools now, public ones. Smearing of feces, peeing in seats and even worse. I have heard it straight from the teachers and staff. So I am just saying it is not only an issue at these types of facilities. I have asked those that say this what they do about it or can do about it and it sounds like very little.

Wow. Things have changed! I ia gins those kids will be starting on the IEP process. It takes awhile to get all of the documentation.

Truly, the beahvior in residential is incredible. But because of privacy, people do not know