Polygamy Kids on the Move
Children moved from the coliseum to new homes; few parents take for DNA test.
April 22, 2008— -- By the end of the week, the 437 children taken into state custody from a polygamous community in West Texas will likely be placed into foster homes scattered across the state -- and into a social system they may not understand.
The state Child Protective Services said that about 100 children were taken from the San Angelo Coliseum Tuesday after Judge Barbara Walther signed an order saying they should be immediately placed in temporary foster homes.
Those children had completed court ordered DNA testing to help untangle the complicated family tree inside the sprawling polygamous compound. The remaining children will be moved after they complete the testing.
Walther's order said officials would attempt to place siblings together and said underage mothers will be placed with their children.
"Based on the specialized needs of this population, information has already been shared about their background and culture with the facilities where they have been placed," the order said.
But those children will face a dramatic adjustment in their new homes, in 10 cities from Amarillo to the Gulf Coast. "All of the staff are trained on how to be culturally sensitive and respectful of the children's needs and different beliefs," said Sherry Loyd of the St. PJ's Children's home.
The buses pulled out as attorneys for a group of the sect's mothers went to court for a temporary restraining order to prevent young children from being separated from their moms. Walther refused to rule on a similar motion Monday, calling the request "premature." A hearing on the motion is scheduled for today.
Many of the childrens' lawyers and advocates are outraged. "They are being treated like they are a heard of cattle, that each of them believes the same, that their families are the same and that their interests are identical and they are not," said Polly O'Tooley, one of the lawyers for the children.
Walther Friday ordered DNA tests for all 437 children and their parents after state child protection officials, and some lawyers, complained that the children often gave multiple names and may have lied about their ages.
