Parents of children abused at childcare facility speak out in support of LB854

LINCOLN, Neb. (KLKN) – An owner of Rosewood Academy, a childcare facility with three locations in the Omaha area that has since closed, has been charged with misdemeanor child abuse.

Parents whose children were abused at these facilities spoke at LB854’s floor hearing Wednesday to share their stories and support the bill.

“[The children were] forced to sleep on the bathroom floor, kicked down the stairs, telling a child to go kill themselves,” Matt Turner said.  “Throwing a baby into a crib, pushing kids into walls, enclosing kids into a small space.  Dislocated shoulders and more.”

Parents were unaware of the harm being done for months.

“I couldn’t keep my promise to my son to keep him safe this time, but I will take however long it takes fighting to change this system that failed my son, so that no other parent or child has to go through what these families have been through,” Ashlynn Turner said.  “This bill will start by requiring the two arms of DHHS to communicate with each other when a report of abuse is made.”

If passed, LB854 would require the Department of Health and Human Services Division of Child and Family Services to communicate with the Department of Public Health when an investigation is underway.

According to Sen. Jen Day, areas of the bill still need work as the bill does not address how parents specifically would be notified.

“There are lots of childcare facilities where they do follow the appropriate steps, they are there to make sure that kids are safe,” said Day.  “In the incidents that the childcare facility is not doing their job, there should be a backup process in terms of the state agencies following through on reporting to parents, especially if their children are part of an investigation.”

There was no public opposition during Wednesday’s hearing.  Over 80 people and letters were present to support the bill, alongside one neutral written by a neutral party.

“The DHHS departments failed to communicate with each other and with parents, resulting in us not finding out about this abuse until more than a year after it occurred,” said Turner.

Those involved in the abuse at Rosewood Academy were given a plea deal that lowered their felony charge to a misdemeanor.

Sen. Day said that in the future she hopes to work on a bill that would ensure people charged with similar crimes do not have the ability to go to another state and open another childcare facility.

With the charge being lowered to a misdemeanor, the owners and staff involved still have this ability.