HOW WILL WE PROTECT THE CHILDREN?

Asking A Simple Question About A Complex Problem

Troubled students allegedly smoke pot in a classroom with the consent
of a teacher, who's also accused of stalking a 14-year-old girl in his
class.

A 6-year-old boy is molested by a mother who was allowed to maintain
contact with her son even after she told social workers of her sexual
urges toward him.

A 10-year-old girl alleges she was repeatedly beaten and treated like
a servant by her foster parents.

Those are just the most recent examples of children in Northeastern
Pennsylvania who were failed by the adults charged with protecting
them. The adults have had or will have their day in court. The
responsible institutions -- the Luzerne Intermediate Unit and Luzerne
County Children and Youth Services -- say they've instituted changes
to prevent such incidents in the future.

Life goes on.

Except of course for the children, who will bear the scars of their
experiences for the rest of their lives. They will be sent to other
homes and other classrooms, to counselors and Orphans' Court.

And then will come another tragedy, another investigation, another
bout of community outrage, another round of agency reform.

Perhaps it's time we in Northeastern Pennsylvania broke away from that
cycle and ask ourselves if there is a better way to protect the children.

Do we need some sort of non-governmental advocacy group that can act
in their interest and as a watchdog over our social service agencies?

Do we need to do more to address the poverty, substance abuse and poor
education in some households that contribute so much to the problem of
child abuse?

Do we need more foster parents, or better prepared ones? Do we need to
streamline adoption procedures and act more quickly to revoke parental
rights?

Those questions just skim the surface of a longstanding problem -- a
problem that seems impossible to solve if we continue to do things in
the same old way.

The Times Leader would like to hear its readers' suggestions -- via
letters, SAYSO calls, or opinion pieces -- for solving a very complex
dilemma that can be summed up in a very simple question:

HOW WILL WE PROTECT THE CHILDREN?