Texas v. Criswell family
False Report to Children Protective Services
Filed: February 2004
Nature of Case: The Criswell family of Austin was successfully homeschooling their children when an anonymous tipster made a false report to the Children Protective Services (CPS). The tipster accused the family of neglect since their children were "all homeschooled" and made outlandish assertions of educational and medical abuse. The family called HSLDA and we supplied the social worker with evidence from a doctor and teacher that these allegations were completely bogus. But the social worker was not satisfied and insisted on pushing for a court order to interrogate the children separately at the local child abuse center. HSLDA attorney Tom Sanders represented the family in court and was able to dissuade the judge from granting the social worker's request to have the children interrogated at the child abuse center, allowing instead a short interview with the children with a friend of the family. The investigation was soon dropped.
