Lawmakers clamp down on child abuse at early learning centers
BATON ROUGE — The Louisiana Senate Health and Welfare Committee advanced legislation this week aimed at closing gaps in child abuse investigations at early learning centers.
The bill moved forward following a heartbreaking testimony from a family whose three-year-old daughter was sexually assaulted by a classmate at an unlicensed private school.
Senate Bill 41, introduced by Sen. Regina Barrow, D-Baton Rouge, aims to clarify who holds responsibility for investigating child-on-child abuse in early education settings and strengthen oversight of unlicensed early learning centers.
They include some day care centers and pre-kindergarten programs that are not currently required to follow Louisiana Department of Education guidelines.
Louisiana House passes bill that aims to stop reservation reselling without restaurant consent
The proposal gained urgency after a powerful testimony from a Jefferson Parish family.
The father, a member of the Army National Guard, testified that he discovered blood in his daughter's underwear after picking her up from school and helping her change into her leotard for gymnastics practice. His daughter later told him a classmate had touched her inappropriately.
'We immediately sought medical help at Children's Hospital in New Orleans,' the father told the committee. 'The weeks that followed, my mental health would be equivalent to, if not worse than, my combat deployment to Iraq.'
The family explained how the Jefferson Parish Sheriff's Office initially refused to investigate, citing the children's young age, and how the Department of Children and Family Services (DFCS) stated that the matter fell under law enforcement's jurisdiction.
It was not until weeks later that a detective was assigned to the case.
'Everybody is pointing fingers at each other,' the mother proclaimed.
She explained that no agency would take responsibility for the case. That led her to pull her child out of school and have her father-in-law travel down from New York to help care for the children.
Under current law, public schools are required to conduct criminal background checks on employees but are not mandated to consult DCFS's child abuse registry.
'We need to get this gap closed,' Sen. Barrow said. 'There is no reason this school shouldn't be treated like any other school.'
SB41 would require all schools, public and private, to conduct both criminal history checks and consult the child abuse registry before hiring staff. It also aims to define which agency must respond when incidents like the one experienced by the Jefferson Parish family occur.
Bill revives effort to criminalize non-consensual STD exposure in Louisiana
State child ombudsman Kathleen Ritchie testified that such incidents often stem from a history of trauma and said both alleged perpetrators and victims must be assessed and connected to services.
'We've failed this child, and we need to fix this problem,' said Sen. Jay Luneau. 'We've got to do better.'
The bill also includes amendments that limit registry background checks to school employees hired after August 1, 2018, and exempt certified teachers from duplicate checks already completed by schools.
The bill received strong support from the committee and heads to the Senate floor.
'RuPaul's Drag Race' star has most of leg amputated due to serious infection
Trump: Pledge to end Ukraine war on first day in White House 'said in jest'
Baton Rouge police investigating possible hit-and-run that left man hurt
Consumer sentiment falls to lowest level since postpandemic inflation peak
Federal authorities arrest Wisconsin judge
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
American Press
29-05-2025
- American Press
Louisiana bill redefines IVF embryos
The Louisiana state Capitol in Baton Rouge. (Associated Press Archives) By Anna Puleo | LSU Manship School News Service The Louisiana House passed a bill Tuesday that changes how the state treats embryos created through in vitro fertilization. The bill, which passed 82-14, establishes legal protections and reshapes how IVF is regulated. The bill originated in the Senate, and an amended version was carried in the House by Rep. Paula Davis, R-Baton Rouge. It redefines IVF embryos as 'juridical persons,' a legal category that gives them more rights without going so far as to classify them as full legal 'children' or property. 'This is a pro-family, pro-life and pro-parent bill,' Davis said. 'No parent should have to cross state lines to start a family.' The laws governing IVF have been politically sensitive since an Alabama Supreme Court ruling in early 2024 raised questions about them, and lawmakers in several states have been scrambling to codify their support for the practice. Under the new Louisiana measure, Senate Bill 156, embryos are considered viable unless they fail to develop within 72 hours after fertilization. Those that do not develop in that timeframe are classified as nonviable. This definition was added through an amendment and replaces the state's previous standard of 36 hours. For embryos considered viable, the bill states that only the intended parents, not doctors or fertility clinics, can make decisions about their use. It also bans any IVF contract that includes a clause allowing embryos to be intentionally destroyed. Those agreements would now be considered legally invalid. Rep. Aimee Freeman Newell, D-New Orleans, raised concerns about how current IVF laws apply to single women, whether it is those who choose to become single parents or lose a spouse during the process. Would they still have access to treatment? Davis said SB156 is updating Louisiana's IVF laws to reflect modern realities. It removes terms like 'parental rights,' 'married couple,' and 'adoptive implantation,' and makes it clear that embryos can be donated to any individual, not just to married couples. A similar bill was brought to the floor last year but was returned to the calendar after criminal and constitutional law experts raised concerns that its language conflicted with Louisiana's criminal statutes. Lawmakers worked with Louisiana Right to Life and legal advisors to revise the language in this year's version. Davis pointed to the controversial 2024 Alabama Supreme Court decision as an example of the kind of legal uncertainty Louisiana wants to avoid. In that case, the court ruled that frozen embryos created through IVF are considered 'children' under Alabama's wrongful death law, granting them legal personhood and allowing wrongful death lawsuits to proceed. The ruling came after several frozen embryos were accidentally destroyed at a fertility clinic, sparking a lawsuit against the hospital and clinic. A trial court initially dismissed the case, saying embryos outside the womb are not children, but the Alabama Supreme Court reversed that decision. That court decision sparked national backlash. President Donald Trump, who was campaigning at the time, came out in support of IVF access soon after, urging Alabama lawmakers to 'act quickly to find an immediate solution' to keep the procedure legal. His comments reflected a broader shift, as many Republicans tried to distance themselves from the Alabama court's decision and its potential fallout. Louisiana's SB156, authored by Sen. Thomas Pressley, R-Shreveport, aims to provide clearer guidance while protecting embryos under state law, without creating conflicts with criminal statutes or overextending legal personhood. The bill now goes back to the Senate for its consideration of House amendments.
Yahoo
29-05-2025
- Yahoo
Louisiana Republicans help kill anti-fluoride bill
Republicans in the Louisiana House stifled a proposal Wednesday that would have banned the addition of fluoride in public water systems — rejecting a burgeoning movement backed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee shot down the measure in a 4-11 vote, with six Republicans joining five Democrats to defeat the measure. All four members who voted in favor are Republicans. The proposal would have allowed public fluoridation only if residents petitioned for a vote in their jurisdiction and a majority of registered voters cast ballots in favor — a notably steep hurdle, particularly in areas with low voter turnout. The GOP-controlled state Senate advanced Senate Bill 2 in a 24-10 vote last month. The Louisiana Legislature's regular session runs through June 12, so the anti-fluoride measure could be revived. Florida adopted a law this month to ban fluoride in public drinking water, becoming the second state to do so after Utah. The U.S. has supported community water fluoridation programs since the 1940s, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deeming it a safe, cost-effective way to improve oral health. But Kennedy, whom President Trump appointed to lead the nation's health care programs earlier this year, has loudly voiced skepticism of water fluoridation despite objections from dentists and other health care providers who argue it helps prevent tooth decay. Kennedy posted on social platform X before his Senate confirmation that the Trump administration would 'advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.' He referred to the naturally occurring substance as 'industrial waste' that causes disease, though there is no scientific evidence to back up his claims. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
28-05-2025
- The Hill
Louisiana Republicans help kill anti-fluoride bill
Republicans in the Louisiana House stifled a proposal on Wednesday that would have banned the addition of fluoride in public water systems — rejecting a burgeoning movement backed by Health and Human Services Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. The Louisiana House Health and Welfare Committee shot down the measure in a 4-11 vote, with six Republicans joining five Democrats to defeat the measure. All four members who voted in favor are Republicans. The proposal would have allowed public fluorination only if residents petitioned for a vote in their jurisdiction and a majority of registered voters cast ballots in favor — a notably steep hurdle, particularly in areas with low voter turnout. The GOP-controlled state Senate advanced Senate Bill 2 in a 24-10 vote last month. The Louisiana Legislature's regular session runs through June 12, so the anti-fluoride measure could be revived. Florida adopted a law this month to ban fluoride in public drinking water, becoming the second state after Utah. The U.S. has supported community water fluorination programs since the 1940s, with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) deeming it a safe, cost-effective way to improve oral health. But Kennedy, who President Trump appointed to lead the nation's health care programs earlier this year, has loudly voiced skepticism of water fluoridation despite objections from dentists and other health care providers who argue it helps prevent tooth decay. Kennedy posted on the social media platform X before his Senate confirmation that the Trump administration would 'advise all U.S. water systems to remove fluoride from public water.' He referred to the naturally occurring substance as 'industrial waste' that causes disease, though there is no scientific evidence to back up his claims.
