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The articles below were written by Executive Director Linda Van Fossen. Speak Out Until the Children are Safe Their defense attorneys described it as “alternative and creative” discipline. Closing a frail, vulnerable child in a dark, cold, damp cellar to calm him down is certainly a diversion from any parenting techniques I ever encountered. Hardened criminals in a prison are protected from such egregious punishment. Small children frequently are afraid of the dark – imagining monsters under their beds. read article >> Starving Boy - MacDonalds He begged for a Big Mac—or, maybe, a Happy Meal—even a donut. “She declined,” according to the Star Ledger. When he found a half of an old dirty cookie in her glove compartment and swallowed it, she agreed not to tell Miss Vanessa, his foster mother.
An emaciated child was afraid and hungry. He implored a “safe” adult to feed him. “ She declined.” Then this DYFS worker documented his hunger, her refusal, his fear. That is not a system failure; that is a person failure. read article >> Starving Kids in Camdem read article >>Adolescent Boys
Adolescent boys are very much like puppies-- scrappy, roll-around-on-the-floor puppies. While watching a team of boys following a sporting event knock each other over, hug/wrestle on the ground in piles, and give each other head "nugies", I became convinced of their similarity to a litter of puppies. This is not a disparaging analogy; in fact, adolescent boys are quite lovable. Their unfortunate reputation which suggests the opposite is mistaken. Recently, a national news magazine published a cover story in defense of teenage girls. Now, I want to defend our much maligned boys. read article >> Bullying
"Beat the crap out of him." That was one suggestion from the audience that generated scattered applause at a recent conference on bullying and gangs. Another educator announced that he simply tells the kids to take the fight off school property. These people believe that the solution to the bullying problem was to insist that victims fight back. I wonder what they would have advised the three year old allegedly beaten to death by a ten year old. read article >> DYFS
The large sad eyes of seven year old Faheem Williams from the front page of the New York Post still haunts me. Lost innocence - such unspeakable tragedy - how does this happen in America, in New Jersey? read article >> Sniper
On the front page of several New York newspapers, the blond, beautiful and rich Lizzie Grubman shared space with two African American men, the alleged Beltway snipers. I couldn’t help noticing the obvious dichotomy, yet the more subtle, sinister similarity - an apparent total disregard for the lives of others and the resulting injury or death to their victims. read article >> To Bully or Not To Bully
According to national research presented by FBI agent, Bill Tonkin, on the Union County Committee Against Hate Forum on Bullying last week, 160,000 students stay home from school every day to avoid being bullied. The same research also reveals that 60% of middle school students disclose being victims of bullying while teachers believe only 20% of students are bullied. read article >>
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