An Ohio couple, Christian and Katie Maple, lost custody of one of their children after they disagreed with the school’s mental health assessment of their child.
Camden Maple, a seven-year-old boy, has five siblings and enjoys Star Wars, Pokémon, football, video games, and Legos. He loves to write stories and draws comic books. While this sounds like an ordinary, creative, imaginative American little boy who can, according to his mom, be “rambunctious” at times, his school said that he needed mental health help.
While the school diagnosed him with ADHD (attention deficit hyperactivity disorder), his parents, who know him better than anyone else, believe that his “rambunctious” actions stem mostly from boredom and not being challenged in the classroom. Camden has been tested a full grade above his current one and often finishes assignments before the rest of the class. When he spends the extra time doodling, Camden gets punished for his creativity.
Does that make him a disobedient or bad child? According to administrators at the public Bowman Primary School in Lebanon, Ohio, it does. They insisted that Camden is “mentally unstable” and needs professional mental health assistance to deal with his disability.
“We as parents do not have the problems the school claims to have with him, at home. We know how to deal with a rambunctious 7 year old, but the school is content with making him believe that he is a bad child; we disagree,” the Maples said.
CPS seizes little boy after a twisted joke at school
Following an incident at school, Christian and Katie were called to pick up their son. He had been a little disruptive in class and told one of the school counselors that he wanted to “erase himself from the earth” because he was a bad kid.
Instead of seeking professional mental health help, the Maples decided to have an extended conversation with their son first, sorting out the issues on a family level. As reported by his parents, there was no reason for concern. During their long talk, Camden explained that he did not want to hurt himself and just said it because he was upset and wanted to see what the counselor would say. His parents added that before this statement, Camden never said anything about harming himself.
“The school thinks he is ADHD; we as parents disagree,” the Maples explained. “We believe that it stems mostly from boredom and not being challenged in the classroom. The school has tried on several occasions to get us to have him diagnosed, so that he can be medicated.”
The Maples made suggestions to his teachers about how to handle Camden. They explained that Camden doodles or becomes restless because he is bored, not because he has ADHD. Their comments and suggestions all got ignored, and the school decided to call Child Protective Services (CPS), accusing them of “health neglect.”
After several visits to their home, eight police officers surrounded the couple’s house on March 3, 2017, and took Camden away based on false accusations and ADHD diagnosis. Rather than addressing the issues – by skipping a grade or giving him extra assignments – the CPS abducted a healthy, little boy from his loving family, stamped him with the label of a mental disease, and put him on damaging ADHD medication and mandatory therapy.
Camden never showed any signs of depression or the intention to hurt himself or others. He is just too smart for his age and bored. Nonetheless, the school called the CPS when the Maples did not comply with their demand to get their child diagnosed with ADHD and medicated.
The Maples are still fighting to get their son back and wonder if they fell victim to a money greedy school that wanted funding by having him diagnosed as a special needs child.
Has the world gone mad?
#1: misterwhite To: Deckard (#0)
misterwhite posted on 2017-04-28 09:45:49 Reply Private Reply
#2: Gatlin To: misterwhite (#1)
Gatlin posted on 2017-04-28 10:17:46 Reply Private Reply
#3: misterwhite To: Gatlin (#2)
The parents are simply in denial. No parent wants to think there's something "wrong" with their child.
But their kid is disruptive in class. It may be he needs more discipline, or he has ADHD. If the latter, medication will calm him down so he can learn.
But they won't know until he's tested.
misterwhite posted on 2017-04-28 10:32:42 Reply Private Reply
#4: Deckard To: misterwhite (#3)
The rabid drug warrior in favor of drugging kids - oh, the irony!
“We believe that it stems mostly from boredom and not being challenged in the classroom. The school has tried on several occasions to get us to have him diagnosed, so that he can be medicated.”
The school system does not own the kids, as much as you believe otherwise.
Deckard posted on 2017-04-28 10:53:02 Reply Private Reply
#5: no gnu taxes To: Deckard (#0)
no gnu taxes posted on 2017-04-28 12:23:00 Reply Private Reply
#6: misterwhite To: Deckard (#4)
I'm in favor of treating kids, if necessary, so they can get an education. The parents can refuse and home school if they want.
But whether or not they treat their son, he should at least be tested.
misterwhite posted on 2017-04-28 12:26:02 Reply Private Reply
#7: Deckard To: no gnu taxes (#5)
Pretty good review and synopsis at Amazon.
Mr. Valenti and his family, sadly, were caught up in the terrible throes of Child Protection Services. But believe it or not, they were lucky as their removed children were able to live with extended family rather than with strangers and the actual ordeal was over within a few months. But it was still wrong from the getgo.
I agree that lawyers should read this work and perhaps some attorneys or law profs might do well to sponsor Mr. Valenti to speak at a CLE class or two.
From the point of view of law, the Valentis did a lot of things wrong, as Mr. Valenti has pointed out, in that, they trusted a system that one should never trust.
If any lesson can be learned from reading Mr. Valenti's story, it is that, falsely accused parents must, must, must retain able legal counsel from the very beginning of any CPS investigation.
Deckard posted on 2017-04-28 12:59:41 Reply Private Reply
#8: Deckard To: misterwhite (#6)
How about actually challenging the kid instead of warping his mind with Ritalin?
Deckard posted on 2017-04-28 13:01:21 Reply Private Reply
#9: U don't know me To: misterwhite (#3)
so he can learn. ( Learn what, he is already a full grade above his current one.)
U don't know me posted on 2017-04-28 14:49:21 Reply Private Reply
#10: U don't know me To: Deckard (#8)
Drug companies can't make any money that way.
U don't know me posted on 2017-04-28 14:51:32 Reply Private Reply
#11: Deckard To: U don't know me (#9)
That would be the obvious solution - move him up a grade.
Do schools still do that?
Teachers leave them kids alone
Hey! Teachers! Leave them kids alone
Deckard posted on 2017-04-28 14:57:10 Reply Private Reply
#12: Deckard To: U don't know me (#10)
Or the schools for that matter.
Every mass shooting over last 20 years has one thing in common... and it's not guns
The overwhelming evidence points to the signal largest common factor in all of these incidents is the fact that all of the perpetrators were either actively taking powerful psychotropic drugs or had been at some point in the immediate past before they committed their crimes.
Multiple credible scientific studies going back more than a decade, as well as internal documents from certain pharmaceutical companies that suppressed the information show that SSRI drugs ( Selective Serotonin Re-Uptake Inhibitors ) have well known, but unreported side effects, including but not limited to suicide and other violent behavior. One need only Google relevant key words or phrases to see for themselves. www.ssristories.com is one popular site that has documented over 4500 " Mainstream Media " reported cases from around the World of aberrant or violent behavior by those taking these powerful drugs.
Deckard posted on 2017-04-28 15:00:35 Reply Private Reply
#13: no gnu taxes To: Deckard (#7)
The family was torn to pieces. The kids were terrified to even go to a doctor's office after this. They may have been placed with relatives, but the kids begged and pleaded with their parents to take them home, and all the parents could do was say, "no, we can't right now." Everybody in authority was indifferent to the facts.
Even after it was proven the family was right, the authorities just said, "ehh, mistakes happen."
This is disgusting to anybody who has a child.
no gnu taxes posted on 2017-04-28 17:55:34 Reply Private Reply