This is just plain SICK!
Posted: Fri Nov 12, 2004 11:45 am
Denton teen left in garage, starved
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
A Denton father and step-mother are charged with child endangerment after police said their 14-year-old son was deprived of food and forced to live in his family's garage.
The boy had apparently not been to school in years, and neighbors want to know how the neglected boy fell through the cracks.
A Child Protective Services official said the boy, whose name has not been released, last attended school three years ago when he was 11. His parents, Lorenzo and Nadia Reid, pulled him out of public school so they could home-school him.
"The parents would leave and they wouldn't be home - they weren't home," said neighbor Kim Stewart. "How can they home-school a child if (they) weren't there?"
Denton police found an algebra book in the garage, but no other evidence the boy was receiving a home education.
"In a normal situation with home schooling, you have a parent that will stay home and will be the main educator, or you have a group of parents that will get together and teach the children," said police spokesperson Jim Bryan. "It's my understanding on this case, that was not occuring."
Police arrested the Denton couple after a concerned neighbor called CPS. That neighbor told News 8 the boy looked emaciated, and would go to nearby houses asking for food, begging them not to tell his father.
Denton ISD officials said once parents take children out of public schools, the district doesn't have the authority to monitor them.
"The state considers home schools on the same level as a non-accredited private school," said Reed Jackson of Denton ISD Support Services.
The school district asks home-schoolers to sign a form when they withdraw their students. It's a written promise to provide the youngsters a home-based curriculum - but parents aren't required to sign.
"That really surprises me that nobody has a record that these children are actually being taught," Stewart said.
Denton County home-schooler Sarah Jordan told News 8 the boy's case is "a neglect issue, not a home-schooling issue."
"It's not the public school's job to uncover neglect," Jordan said. "It's their job to educate."
The 14-year-old has two younger sisters, aged 4 and 7. Ironically, the seven-year-old girl went to a public school just a few blocks away from their house.
By STEVE STOLER / WFAA ABC 8
A Denton father and step-mother are charged with child endangerment after police said their 14-year-old son was deprived of food and forced to live in his family's garage.
The boy had apparently not been to school in years, and neighbors want to know how the neglected boy fell through the cracks.
A Child Protective Services official said the boy, whose name has not been released, last attended school three years ago when he was 11. His parents, Lorenzo and Nadia Reid, pulled him out of public school so they could home-school him.
"The parents would leave and they wouldn't be home - they weren't home," said neighbor Kim Stewart. "How can they home-school a child if (they) weren't there?"
Denton police found an algebra book in the garage, but no other evidence the boy was receiving a home education.
"In a normal situation with home schooling, you have a parent that will stay home and will be the main educator, or you have a group of parents that will get together and teach the children," said police spokesperson Jim Bryan. "It's my understanding on this case, that was not occuring."
Police arrested the Denton couple after a concerned neighbor called CPS. That neighbor told News 8 the boy looked emaciated, and would go to nearby houses asking for food, begging them not to tell his father.
Denton ISD officials said once parents take children out of public schools, the district doesn't have the authority to monitor them.
"The state considers home schools on the same level as a non-accredited private school," said Reed Jackson of Denton ISD Support Services.
The school district asks home-schoolers to sign a form when they withdraw their students. It's a written promise to provide the youngsters a home-based curriculum - but parents aren't required to sign.
"That really surprises me that nobody has a record that these children are actually being taught," Stewart said.
Denton County home-schooler Sarah Jordan told News 8 the boy's case is "a neglect issue, not a home-schooling issue."
"It's not the public school's job to uncover neglect," Jordan said. "It's their job to educate."
The 14-year-old has two younger sisters, aged 4 and 7. Ironically, the seven-year-old girl went to a public school just a few blocks away from their house.
