Excessive Absences Do Not Establish a Parent’s “Educational Neglect”
The First Department, over a dissent, reversed Family Court’s finding that mother neglected the child by failing to provide for the child’s educational needs. The record demonstrated that the child was defiant, violent and difficult to control, and mother had made substantial efforts to provide for her education:
Although the child had an excessive amount of absences from school, such absences “do[] not, ipso facto, establish either the parental misconduct or the harm or potential harm to the child necessary to a finding of [educational] neglect under Family Ct Act 1012(f)(i)(A)” … . Here, the record shows that the mother faced obstacles in getting the child to attend school on a regular basis. The mother took the child to school for a period of time, but she was financially unable to escort the child to school on an ongoing basis … . Moreover, even when the child was present, she had a history of truancy, tardiness, leaving school early and loitering in the hallways. The record further demonstrates that the child was defiant, violent, and had a history of lying and threatening to harm herself when the mother did not allow her to do what she wanted. The child also suffered from mood disorder, and had continuous hallucinations that made sleep difficult. The child was eventually hospitalized, and was given a number of psychiatric diagnoses. As a result, she was prescribed medication that caused her to be drowsy and disoriented, which further exacerbated her unwillingness and inability to attend school.Under the circumstances, the mother was unable to control the child and, despite her best efforts, struggled to get the child to attend school regularly, as well as to her therapy and drug treatment appointments… . Matter of Brianna R, 2014 NY Slip Op 01410, 1st Dept 5-4-14