EPPiC Broadcast

Sarah Catherine Williams is a Senior Research Scientist at Child Trends. Her recent study on how states track the practice of kinship diversion in their child welfare systems is the subject of today’s conversation.Sarah Catherine is an experienced program evaluator, skilled in analyzingAFCARS, NCANDS, and state-level administrative child welfare data related tomaltreatment, permanency, and placement stability. Through this conversation, she helps listeners gain perspective on what kinship diversion is, how it's studied, and what small steps can be taken to better track these types of situations.Click here to view her study!The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.Support the show

Kate Anderson, Senior Counsel and the Director of the Center for Parental Rights at the Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF), joins host Michael Ramey today for an important discussion about parental rights in the classroom. Anderson’s work centers on protecting the fundamental rights of parents from harmful government policies that withhold vital information from parents, secretly transition their children to the opposite gender at school, or blatantly disregard their expressed wishes concerning their children’s health and well-being.Today’s conversation centers around an article Anderson published in The Hill a few months ago entitled “Parents Are Winning – and the Department of Education Is Leading the Charge." The article centered on what schools are teaching children and what limits are needed to ensure parents are informed and involved in what their children are taught regarding gender identity, sex education, and health.The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.Support the show

Andrew Clark is the founder and president of Yes Every Kid, an organization which works to change the nation's standardized approach to education, pushing towards a focus on serving the unique needs of every student. He is also a veteran of the Stand Together community, and a skilled lobbyist and political tactician, having worked on state policies ranging from food trucks to Social Security.Today, he and Michael discuss the recent survey done by Yes Every Kid on educational freedom in America. Many parents feel that the values they hold are not addressed or considered by the US educational system, which tends to "teach to the test" rather than taking a more nuanced approach. They discuss who is--and who should be--making the decisions about our kids' education. They also talk about government overreach in the homeschooling laws of some states. The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.Support the show

Dr. Mical Raz is a professor of Public Health & Policy, History, and Clinical Medicine at the University of Rochester. Mical earned her PhD and MD from Tel Aviv University in 2007 and 2009, respectively, and has since completed her residency and post-doctoral fellowships at Yale and the University of Pennsylvania. She has written numerous journal articles on child welfare and is the author of four books. Today’s conversation revolves around her conclusions from her most recently released book, Breaking Families, Making Families: Adoption & Child Welfare in the 1990s. Starting from the early 1970s and onwards, she discusses the state of our child welfare system and how we have found ourselves here today. Evaluating the effectiveness of policies such as Termination of Parental Rights (TPR), Families First Movement, and Adoption and Safe Families Act (ASFA), Mical encourages the audience to think critically about how we have gotten to where we are today and what changes can be made to better support families going forward. The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.Support the show

Dr. Peter Gray, a research professor emeritus of psychology at Boston College, joins us to share his expertise across developmental psychology, neuroendocrinology, anthropology, and education. He is the author of a widely acclaimed introductory psychology textbook, currently in its eighth edition. He also wrote the popular book, Free to Learn, emphasizing the importance of childhood freedom to learn. Dr. Gray’s recent scholarly work explores how play shaped human evolution and how children naturally educate themselves through self-directed play and discovery. He joins Michael to discuss his latest release, Restoring Childhood: How to Set Kids Free in the Age of Anxiety. This conversation takes us through the timeline of events in the United States and parenting that have contributed to where we are today. Outlining movements such as Common Core, the rise of the cell phone, social media, and more, it’s clear that there has been a parental revolution in the US since the early 1950s - and this revolution has not benefitted children in the ways they may appear to help.  The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/. Support the show

This week, we're rewinding to a conversation with Vivek Sankaran and Michael Farris from November 2024. Vivek is a professor of law at the Michigan University School of Law and Director of their Child Advocacy Law Clinic.  Michael is a constitutional law scholar, founding president of the Parental Rights Foundation, and the former CEO and president of Alliance Defending Freedom.Although they come from different sides of the political spectrum, Vivek and Michael both submitted amicus briefs arguing against termination of parental rights in a recent case that went before the Michigan Supreme Court Today, these two experts explain why they both weighed in on this case in favor of family preservation.  The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, president of the Parental Rights Foundation. You can sign up for email alerts to keep yourself informed on parental rights news at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/. Support the show

Lenore Skenazy, President of Let Grow and founder of the Free-Range Kids movement, joins Michael Ramey to discuss a recent Virginia case involving a mother who was convicted of contributing to the delinquency of a minor after allowing her five-year-old son to walk alone in their gated community. She received a six-month jail sentence that was suspended, while the child welfare investigation also resulted in her placement on Virginia’s child abuse and neglect registry.The conversation examines the case in light of Virginia’s 2023 reasonable childhood independence law, which provides that allowing children to engage in age-appropriate independent activities without adult supervision does not, by itself, constitute abuse or neglect. Lenore and Michael discuss what happened in this case, the questions it raises about the application of the law, and the broader effort to protect families who give children opportunities for independence. They also consider similar laws in other states and the future of reasonable childhood independence protections.The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/.Support the show

Sarah Katz, Clinical Professor of Law at Temple University Beasley School of Law, and April Lee, founder of Philly Voice for Change, join us to discuss a Pennsylvania proposal that would allow parental rights to be reinstated in certain circumstances after they have been terminated. Sarah brings her experience in family law and child welfare, while April brings lived experience as a parent involved in the child welfare system and her work advocating for families.The conversation examines how parental rights are terminated, the impact of termination on children and families, and the circumstances under which rights could be reinstated under Pennsylvania House Bill 133. Sarah and April also discuss the potential benefits of the proposal for children who remain in the child welfare system, experiences that illustrate the need for reform, and what listeners can do to learn more about the legislation.The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/. Support the show

Jim Mason, President of the Home School Legal Defense Association and a longtime advocate for homeschooling and parental rights, joins Michael Ramey for a conversation about the current state of homeschooling freedom in America. Jim brings decades of experience defending homeschool families and litigating Fourth Amendment issues in child welfare investigations.The conversation focuses on Connecticut’s recent changes to homeschooling law, the constitutional concerns they raise, and the broader landscape for homeschool freedom across the country. Jim also discusses recent victories for homeschooling families, the connection between homeschooling rights and parental rights, and what families and advocates should watch for in the coming legislative session.The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/Support the show

In this episode, Albany Law School Associate Professor of Law and Director of the Family Violence Litigation Clinic Dale Margolin Cecka joins us to discuss anonymous reporting to Child Protective Services and the investigation involving former Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg and his family. Dale also discusses her recent law review article, Don’t Just Ask the Kids: Toward a More Deliberate Approach to Child Advocacy, and her longstanding work examining the use of anonymous reporting in the child welfare system.The conversation explores how anonymous allegations can trigger intrusive CPS investigations, the constitutional questions raised when investigators arrive at a family’s home, and what happens when parents refuse entry or interviews. Dale also discusses how common these investigations are, whether anonymous reporting actually helps identify child abuse, what parents can do if CPS arrives at their door, and what reforms could help prevent the misuse of the child welfare system.The EPPiC Broadcast is hosted by Michael Ramey, President of the Parental Rights Foundation. Stay informed on parental rights news by signing up for email alerts at https://parentalrightsfoundation.org/get-involved/. Support the show