City Employees Fired Over Handling of Family
posted 7:10 pm Mon January 14, 2008 - Washington
A social worker at the school where the oldest girl was a student, Kathy Lopes, tried twice in April to raise concerns about the family.
At a news conference Monday, Fenty played tapes of two calls Lopes made after the girl, Brittany Jacks, stopped going to school. The social worker describes visiting the house, but not being let in by the mother, Banita Jacks. MORE COVERAGE: Scott Thuman Reports on the Communication Break-down
Lopes said Jacks told her she did not want Brittany going to school because she was afraid the girl would run away. Lopes reported seeing two or three younger children who also were not in school.
In a follow-up call, she expresses frustration at being transferred among several departments.
"It appears the mother is suffering from some mental illness and is holding all the children hostage," Lopes says on the tape.
Jacks told investigators the children were possessed by demons and died in their sleep.
The six employees being fired work for the District of Columbia's Child and Family Services Agency. More workers could lose their jobs as an investigation continues, Fenty said.
Sharlynn Bobo, director of the Child and Family Services Agency, said agency workers were "grieving just like the rest of the community" and that she regretted the way the case was handled.
"We accept our responsibility for the missed opportunities for protecting these children and helping the Jacks family," Bobo said. "We deeply regret - I deeply regret - our failures in responding effectively and rapidly to this family."
Fenty praised Lopes, who works at the Booker T. Washington Public Charter School.
"Unfortunately, she stands out really because so many other people didn't do their job in the way they're supposed to," Fenty said. "The sense of urgency that she showed should be shown in every case and every call that comes through our hot line."
Lopes' call was not the first time someone had tried to alert city officials about the family's situation.
In July 2006, a nurse who had been treating the father of Jacks' youngest two daughters contacted the Child and Family Services hot line to report the family was living in a van and that both parents were struggling with substance abuse, officials said. The nurse couldn't provide an address for the family so social workers did not follow up.
City officials on Monday outlined several policy changes to prevent a similar tragedy from happening, including establishing a system that better tracks students who are withdrawn from school to be taught at home. Cases involving allegations of child abuse or neglect also will not be closed until the child is found and determined to be safe.
An investigation into Jacks' family was closed weeks after Lopes' visit because child welfare officials thought the family had moved to Maryland - even though the family was never located.
Authorities have said the girls died at least 15 days before they were found. Jacks' statement to police indicated they had been dead for months. The medical examiner's office has said there is evidence that Brittany was stabbed and that Tatianna Jacks, 11; N'Kiah Fogle, 6; and Aja Fogle, 5, had other signs of trauma. -
Click Here to listen to the CFSA hotline call made on April 27, 2007
Click Here to listen to the 311 call made on April 30, 2007
Latest Comment on City Employees Fired Over Handling of Family
micofield1@yahoo.com
2:35 pm on 01/15/08
I really can feel Mrs. Jacks, due the situation the system has put me through. I just don't understand how can kill them. One thing I can say about her, that she never left her kids regardless of what she had going on. The system will talk to you any kind of way, and put you through a lot of people before someone can help you. They have hung up on me and raised their voice at me, like they getting it out of their pockets. I have been homeless since 2005, and no 1 has help me yet. Every time i call and ask questions they give me another number and that person gives me another number to call. I even has e-mailed the mayor office and no response. so it can get very frustrating when you don't have any1 to help you at all.
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