Legal / Legislative Updates

Case of Poison Oak Exaggerated by Tipster

One of our Missouri member families was visited in late June 2007 by a social worker concerned about anonymous allegations of neglect.* According to a tipster, the family’s 6-year-old son had grease burns covering his arms, another son walked with a limp from an improperly treated broken leg, and the family’s baby had nearly starved to death.

In reality, the supposed grease burns on the 6-year-old were actually poison oak sores that in the end healed very nicely. The other son’s leg had indeed been broken a couple of years previously, was treated at the time, and he now walks fine. The baby, now almost 3 years old, is very healthy and was never near starvation.

Although the parents refuted the anonymous tipster’s claims, the social worker still wanted to enter the home and pursue the investigation. The family called Home School Legal Defense Association’s emergency after-hours phone line. HSLDA Senior Counsel Christopher Klicka asked the family to send letters of reference from people who could vouch for them as further proof of their innocence. He also sent a letter to the social worker explaining the family’s 4th Amendment rights and demanding that the family’s record be expunged due to the falseness of the allegations.

We are pleased to report that the case has been resolved.

— by Christopher J. Klicka