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Globe and Mail
a day ago
- Politics
- Globe and Mail
Family Law Attorney Michael Ian Bender Sworn in as President of Illinois Judges Foundation
Retired judge, family law attorney, child advocate, and author Michael Ian Bender ( has been sworn in as the new president of the Illinois Judges Foundation (IJF), continuing a distinguished career dedicated to supporting families and children through the legal system. With more than 25 years of experience, first as a judge in the Circuit Court of Cook County's Domestic Relations Division and later as a practicing attorney, Bender brings a deep and informed perspective to his leadership of the Foundation. As a family law attorney, Michael Ian Bender has worked to help parents handle complex legal issues while minimizing the emotional toll on children. His years on the bench gave him direct insight into how divorce and custody proceedings affect children's lives. He now applies that knowledge at Caesar & Bender, LLP, where he focuses on thoughtful and constructive outcomes in family law cases. Bender's work as a family law attorney is also reflected in his book 'Protecting Children: Bettering the World One Child at a Time.' The book offers a clear framework for reducing trauma for children involved in divorce, custody, and parentage disputes. 'The trauma that children suffer due to disputes between their parents has long-lasting negative effects,' Bender writes. 'This trauma is heightened at times of divorce and separation.' Now, as president of the Illinois Judges Foundation, Bender plans to further the organization's mission to support judicial education and promote access to justice, especially for children and families impacted by the court system. His background gives him a valuable understanding of how to guide the Foundation's efforts in a way that bridges judicial integrity with real-world legal experience. The Illinois Judges Foundation, the charitable arm of the Illinois Judges Association, supports a variety of educational and outreach programs across the state. With Bender at the helm, the Foundation is expected to expand initiatives aimed at helping judges, attorneys, and the public better understand how legal processes can support child development and family stability. Bender's leadership of the Foundation comes at a time when courts and legal professionals are paying closer attention to how legal systems affect the mental and emotional health of children. He remains active in his legal practice at Caesar & Bender, LLP, where he continues to help families find pathways toward resolution that prioritize long-term well-being. Families facing the challenges of divorce or custody disputes will recognize in Michael Ian Bender a leader who understands not only the law but also the lasting effects legal decisions have on children's lives. His new role as president of the Illinois Judges Foundation reflects a continued commitment to fostering legal environments that protect and support the next generation. About Caesar & Bender, LLP: Caesar & Bender, LLP is a Chicago-based law firm that represents clients in complex family law matters, including divorce and child-related legal issues. The firm is led by Molly E. Caesar and Michael Ian Bender, both of whom are deeply committed to helping families handle legal challenges with practical guidance and a focus on long-term well-being. With decades of combined experience, the firm is committed to minimizing conflict and guiding clients through legal challenges with clarity and care. Embed: GMB: Email and website Email: mbender@ Website: Media Contact Company Name: Caesar & Bender, LLP Contact Person: Michael Ian Bender Email: Send Email Phone: (312) 815-6141 Address: 150 N Michigan Ave #2130 City: Chicago State: IL 60601 Country: United States Website:
CBC
22-05-2025
- CBC
'Lamentable' that nobody from Education Department reached out on Craswell case, says child advocate
Prince Edward Island's child and youth advocate is speaking out on how the Public Schools Branch handled two incidents related to substitute teacher Matthew Craswell, who in April pleaded guilty to a count of sexual interference and three counts involving child pornography. Marvin Bernstein talks to Louise Martin of CBC News: Compass.
CBC
22-05-2025
- Politics
- CBC
P.E.I. child and youth advocate questions inquiry into PSB's handling of Craswell case
Social Sharing Prince Edward Island's child and youth advocate is raising concerns about an upcoming review of school policies in the wake of a former substitute teacher's sex crimes case. The Progressive Conservative government ordered the third-party inquiry of Public Schools Branch policies and procedures spurred by the case of Matthew Alan Craswell. Craswell, 40, pleaded guilty last month to one count of sexual interference over the way in which he touched a young female student while teaching at Stratford's Glen Stewart Primary School during a classroom game in April 2024. Marvin Bernstein, the province's independent child and youth advocate, said it's "lamentable" that officials with the province's Education Department didn't reach out to his office directly after the case came to light. "A preferable course of action would have been early, proactive and direct communication with the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate by the Department of Education and Early Years and the Public Schools Branch, particularly with respect to the advocate's statutory role of oversight of public bodies providing reviewable services to children and youth," Bernstein wrote in a letter released to the public Friday morning. He also noted that "constructive discussions" have since taken place between his office and provincial staff. Many questions were raised during the spring sitting of the P.E.I. Legislature after CBC News reported on Craswell's guilty plea on the sexual interference charge, as well as on three unrelated child pornography charges. Some questions from the opposition parties involved the fact that education officials did not notify either police or Child Protection Services officials about the complaints that Craswell had allegedly touched children inappropriately on two reported occasions. Allegations of similar behaviour at Charlottetown's West Kent Elementary School in 2023 eventually came to light during the police investigation. PSB officials also allowed Craswell to keep teaching at the high school level following the Stratford primary school investigation. Those facts led opposition MLAs to quiz the government over school officials' duty to report, a provision of the province's Child, Youth and Family Services Act that outlines the legal obligation for anyone to report a suspected case of child abuse to authorities as soon as possible. In his letter, Bernstein wrote that he was "troubled by the pervasive lack of understanding" around the duty to report, saying the province's focus should not be on providing school staff with more training on how to investigate complaints of misconduct. Instead, he said they may need retraining on their mandatory obligation to report incidents to the proper authorities, who would then investigate. "The Office of the Child and Youth Advocate is deeply concerned with the perception that the private verification of protection concerns on the part of educators and other staff working in schools is required or precludes mandatory reporting to Child Protection Services or to the police," he wrote. Questions around review's independence The facts revealed in court as Craswell pleaded guilty led P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz to rise in the legislature to apologize to Island parents. The province later named P.E.I.'s former chief justice, David Jenkins, to head the third-party review of the Public Schools Branch and its practices. That process is set to begin June 2. Bernstein indicated in the letter that his office may also choose to conduct its own investigation that "would be systemic in nature, reaching conceptually and temporally beyond the specific case at hand and exercising the advocate's statutory power to compel information across government departments." While saying he holds Jenkins's career and reputation "in high esteem," the child and youth advocate raised concerns about the independence of the provincial review. "It must be noted that such a review, although conducted by a third party, remains government-directed, with the Department of Education and Early Years and Public Schools Branch controlling the terms of reference, compensation to the reviewer, and ultimately, the decision as to what content is publicly released and how this is done," Bernstein wrote. "In addition, a third-party review, in and by itself, does not provide the public with any assurance that there will be a mechanism for objectively monitoring and publicly reporting on the implementation of the recommendations contained in the third-party report." Premier welcomes involvement Asked on Thursday to respond to what Bernstein's embargoed news release said, Lantz said he welcomes an additional investigation conducted by the child and youth advocate, saying the matter needs "all the eyes that we can get." Island students continue to attend school every day, with no immediate actions taken to ensure... that schools are safer places today than they were before. "[Bernstein's] office is an independent office, and we can't direct him to undertake investigations. He actually has the independent authority to undertake an investigation of any kind that he sees fit to do," the premier told CBC News: Compass host Louise Martin. "In his letter, he's outlined that he may in fact do that, and I would encourage him." Lantz added that Jenkins will have broad and independent authority to conduct his review, and has the same powers to compel witnesses and documents as the child and youth advocate would have. WATCH | What Premier Rob Lantz had to say on the latest Matthew Craswell developments: What Premier Rob Lantz had to say on the latest Matthew Craswell developments 12 hours ago Duration 0:56 P.E.I. Premier Rob Lantz says there are questions he's hoping a third-party review into the Matthew Craswell case will answer. The former substitute teacher pleaded guilty to sexual touching of a female student at Glen Stewart Primary School during a classroom game in 2024. Lantz says the Public Schools Branch will turn over timelines and documentation as part of the review process. Student rights 'cannot be placed on hold' Bernstein said he will review Jenkins's report once it's released, then will hold a public town hall meeting to get feedback on whether an independent investigation by the Office of the Child and Youth Advocate is needed. Meanwhile, Bernstein criticized the province for deferring any such public meetings to address the safety of children in Island schools until after the Jenkins review is complete. He said the rights of students "cannot be placed on hold while the third-party review is taking place out of a sense of convenience or for the avoidance of accountability... "The reality is that Island students continue to attend school every day, with no immediate actions taken to ensure ... that schools are safer places today than they were before recent information entered the public discourse," he said in the news release.
Asharq Al-Awsat
20-05-2025
- Politics
- Asharq Al-Awsat
YouTube Star Educator Ms Rachel Draws Ire Over Gaza Appeals
At first glance, the Instagram profile of Ms Rachel fits the image an influencer who has won millions of devoted subscribers for her sing-songy educational content for toddlers and parenting tips. In a pink hairband and denim dungarees, the 42-year-old mother-of-two doles out advice on potty training kids and moral support for struggling parents -- always with a reassuring smile. So, it was an abrupt shift last year when she began speaking out about the plight of children in Gaza, peppering her account with appeals for aid that sowed discord among followers and spurred calls for a federal investigation. "I think it should be controversial to not say anything," she said a recent interview with independent anchor Mehdi Hassan, of the mounting backlash against her fundraising and advocacy. "It's sad that people try to make it controversial when you speak out for children that are facing immeasurable suffering. Silence wasn't a choice for me," she added. That compulsion has put a spotlight on the beloved figure in millions of households, the American early childhood educator and social media sensation known offline as Rachel Accurso. The fallout comes at a perilous moment for children in the war-battered Palestinian enclave, where aid has only just begun to trickle in after Israel cut it off for weeks, and where aid groups have sounded the alarm over food shortages and famine. But the backlash against her activism -- which she has aimed at parents on social media, rather than in her videos for children -- reflects broader polarization in the United States over the war that has swept campuses, offices and society at large. - 'All children, in every country' - In May last year, Accurso launched a fundraising drive that gathered $50,000 for Save the Children. But she spoke also spoke tearfully about the vitriol and "bullying" that came streaming in the form of allegations of anti-Israeli bias. "Palestinian children, Israeli children, children in the US -- Muslim, Jewish, Christian children -- all children, in every country," she wrote in response. "Not one is excluded." Allegations of anti-Israeli bias and anti-Semitism have only mounted since. And so too the toll among children in Gaza, where the Hamas-run health ministry says more than 10,000 children have died since the October 2023 attack on Israel by Hamas that left 1,218 people on the Israeli side dead. A privately funded pro-Israel lobby group last month urged US Attorney General Pam Bondi to investigate whether Accurso "is being funded by a foreign party to push anti-Israel propaganda to skew public opinion." The organization StopAntisemitism, which describes itself as a grassroots watchdog, alleged Accurso was spreading "Hamas propaganda." But it also acknowledged that Accurso had posted in support of Israeli children, including Ariel and Kfir Bibas who were the youngest hostages taken by Hamas and died in captivity. Accurso told The New York Times the accusation she is being funded by Hamas was "absurd" and "patently false." "The painful reality," the newspaper quoted her as saying, "is that Palestinian children in Gaza have been killed by the thousands and continue to be killed, maimed and starved right now. The idea that caring about one group of children prevents us from caring about another group of children is false." - 'You should be ashamed' - Accurso has deactivated comments on some of her posts urging support for Palestinian children. But commentators on other posts reflect the depth and breadth of emotions that have erupted over her posts. "Love your show. Not your politics," one user wrote under a Ms Rachel Instagram post promoting an interview on her activism. Another commentator says: "Ms Rachel is a national treasure." Among those voicing support for the megastar was Tommy Vietor, who worked with former president Barack Obama and hosts the popular Pod Save America podcast. "Anti-Semitism is a real problem and cynically and dishonestly making those allegations for political purposes makes things worse, not better," Vietor wrote, dismissing the anti-Semitism allegations. Accurso has ultimately doubled down, despite the criticism. She recently posted images of her meeting with Rahaf, a three-year-old girl from Gaza who lost both her legs in an attack. "We know treating children like they are being treated in Gaza isn't right morally and ethically. We know it in our souls and hearts," she wrote along with a picture of the two embracing. "Leaders who are silent and not helping these children, you should be ashamed. Your silence will be remembered."
Wall Street Journal
10-05-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Why a Sorority Is Taking on Trump's Budget Cuts
Fraternities and sororities are not historically known for their strong political activism. But in late April, Kappa Alpha Theta members had a cause to speak up about: The organization's longtime philanthropy partner had lost its federal funding. The nonprofit, called National CASA/GAL, helps children experiencing abuse or neglect navigate the court system by appointing them special advocates. For 36 years, Theta members raised millions of dollars for the organization through events like grilled-cheese mixers and charity 5K runs.
