DALLAS, Texas, October 11, 2019 (LifeSiteNews)
– A Texas county court ruled on October 7 that a 4-year-old forcibly
removed from his parents in June will be moved from foster care to the
care of a family friend.
Judge Tracy Gray ordered that Drake Pardo be placed with the physical
therapist he had seen for the past year, despite Child Protection
Services’ recommendation that he remain in foster care.
The physical therapist started treating Drake more than a year ago
after he had brain surgery. She testified about Drake’s significant
needs and his progress during therapy. She is also a mother of a special
needs son and has nurses that assist in caring for him. The judge ruled
that being under the care of the physical therapist and the nurses
would be beneficial for Drake.
The judge’s ruling provided a small victory for a family that has been separated from their son for almost five months.
“This is a good thing. This is one step toward getting Drake home,”
Tim Lambert, president of Texas Home School Coalition, told
LifeSiteNews. Texas Home School Coalition (THSC) has been helping the
family, which homeschools their other children.
Drake has been in foster care since June 20 when he was forcibly removed from his parents’ home.
He could not be moved from foster care to a family or friend’s home
until a home visit was completed to ensure a quality placement. A home
visit should have been completed months earlier, according to Lambert.
“We have been trying since June to get a home study done so that
Drake might be placed somewhere besides foster care. That was supposed
to happen in the investigation stage, which was in June,” Lambert told
LifeSiteNews
During an August 9 hearing, Judge Gray ordered CPS to expedite the
home visit required for Drake’s placement outside of foster care and
complete it two weeks rather than the average 30-60 days.
Two months later, CPS still had not completed the home visit. The
family’s lawyer, Chris Branson, filed a motion to compel CPS to complete
the order and asked the judge to sanction CPS for not following the
court order. Within two hours of Branson’s filing, CPS submitted their
completed home visit report.
“Within two hours of his filing, they (CPS) posted their response,” Lambert told LifeSiteNews.
In court, the CPS supervisor admitted that she did not request the
contractor expedite the home study or mention there was a court
deadline.
Judge Gray did not sanction CPS, arguing that Daniel Pardo, Drake’s
father, was also late on completing his psychological evaluation. The
judge asked both parties to be more deliberate in meeting the court’s
orders.
Continued
https://www.lifesitenews.com/news/4-year-old-taken-from-his-home-by-texas-child-services-moved-from-foster-care-to-family-friend
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