The Meitivs are a family living in Silver Spring, Maryland that became a subject of public controversy in 2015 for allowing their children, ages 6 and 10, to go to and from a local park on their own, and for two encounters with government authorities who accused the Meitivs of neglect for this reason.
| Date | December 20, 2014 and 2015 |
|---|---|
| Location | Silver Spring, Maryland |
Incidents
edit- On December 20, 2014, Danielle and Alexander (Sasha) Meitiv let their ten-year-old son and six-year-old daughter walk home together from a local park without supervision. About halfway through the walk, the children were stopped by the police and driven home after someone reported seeing them alone. The encounter led to Montgomery County Child Protective Services (CPS) investigating the Meitivs for neglect.[1]
- On April 12, 2015, Danielle and Alexander let their children play at a local park without supervision. They dropped them off at 4 p.m. and told them to come home within two hours. Police received a call to check on the children at 4:58 p.m. and took them into custody. At 7:18 p.m. the police took them to CPS, where they were held without being allowed to contact their parents. Neither the police nor CPS contacted the children's parents directly, and they only located their children later by calling 9-1-1.[2]
- In June 2015, Maryland officials clarified their views about children playing or walking alone outdoors in a new policy directive, saying Child Protective Services should not be involved in such cases unless children have been harmed or face a substantial risk of harm.[3]
Debate
editThe Meitivs' parenting style has been described as "free-range parenting," although Danielle has disputed that label, saying, "It's just parenting, period. I did it as a kid. My parents did it."[2]
The encounters between the Meitivs and the government have led to an intense debate among parents and educators.[2] The case has been further studied by legal scholars and other academics.[4][5][6][7]
See also
editReferences
edit- ^ St. George, Donna (January 14, 2015). "Parents investigated for neglect after letting kids walk home alone". The Washington Post.
- ^ a b c Wallace, Kelly (April 24, 2015). "Maryland family under investigation again for letting kids play in park alone". CNN.
- ^ St. George, Donna (June 11, 2015). "Md. officials: Letting 'free range' kids walk or play alone is not neglect". The Washington Post.
- ^ Vota, Nicole (18 January 2017). "Keeping the Free-Range Parent Immune from Child Neglect: You Cannot Tell Me How to Raise My Children". Family Court Review. 55 (1): 152–167. doi:10.1111/fcre.12269. ISSN 1531-2445.
- ^ Thomas, Ashley J.; Stanford, P. Kyle; Sarnecka, Barbara W. (2016). "No Child Left Alone: Moral Judgments about Parents Affect Estimates of Risk to Children". Collabra: Psychology. 2 (1). doi:10.1525/collabra.33.
- ^ Pimentel, David (2016). "Protecting the Free-Range Kid: Recalibrating Parents' Rights and the Best Interest of the Child". Cardozo Law Review. 38 (1).
- ^ Pimentel, David (2019). "Punishing Families for Being Poor: How Child Protection Interventions Threaten the Right to Parent while Impoverished". Oklahoma Law Review. 71 (3).
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