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Childhood vaccination exemptions up in state
More Arizona parents are opting out of vaccinations for their kids. The number of children who got personal or religious exemptions from vaccinations in the state increased this year after falling for the past two years.
Indoor tanning for kids? Might as well expose them to plutonium
Cases of melanoma have steadily increased over the last 30 years due, in part, to the prevalence of indoor tanning use by teens. Life-threatening melanoma is now the fourth most common cancer among 15-29 year olds and has one of the highest years of potential life loss.
Kavanagh bill would protect people who break into cars to save pets, children
Saying good Samaritans deserve legal protection, a veteran state lawmaker wants to provide immunity from lawsuits for people who break into hot vehicles to rescue a trapped animal. And kids, too.
5 states struggle with surging numbers of foster children
The number of U.S. children in foster care is climbing after a sustained decline, but just five states account for nearly two-thirds of the recent increase. Reasons range from creation of a new child-abuse hotline to widespread outrage over the deaths of children who'd been repeatedly abused. Addictions among parents are another major factor.
Ruling: Don’t end parental rights due to 1 lapse of watching
An Arizona court has overturned a judge's decision to sever a father's parental rights for his young daughter, saying the judge went too far by basing his decision on a single incident involving lack of supervision.
Justice worries innocent parents could be charged for changing child’s diaper
The chief justice of the Arizona Supreme Court is openly worrying that a new ruling will let police charge parents with child molesting for changing a baby’s diaper.
Charter school accused of using state money to teach religious doctrine
A national organization filed suit Wednesday against an Arizona charter school with ties to a member of the state Board of Education, accusing it of using state funds to illegally teach religious doctrine.
Risk to children’s online safety increases during summer
School books may be closed for the summer but laptops are open. As children spend more time on the Internet, police and parents are working harder to protect them from online predators.
It’s time to lift the freeze on KidsCare
Arizona has a real problem with uninsured kids. But we also have a time-tested solution that now has no cost to the state budget: KidsCare.
Foster parents question new DCS rules
Foster parents worry that new rules drafted by Arizona’s child safety agency could create a harmful environment for foster children and parents alike.
Hundreds of millions of dollars later, child safety programs plagued by the same problems
A decade ago, a team of auditors embedded themselves in the agency charged with protecting Arizona’s children and found that some reports of child abuse or neglect weren’t properly investigated. Other cases lacked the relevant information necessary to ensure children’s safety. Ten years, hundreds of millions of dollars and a new agency later, the problems that plague the Department of Child [...]
DCS chief offers new plan to cut backlog of cases
The head of the state's child welfare agency said Thursday he will slash the backlog of inactive cases by cutting down the number investigated on the front end.
