In the state of Mississippi, children caught in the foster care system are not receiving even the most basic healthcare, and we, Kathleen and Robert Raskin, demand to know why this is allowed. How can children receive their constitutional rights if the court does not intervene? The simple answer is, they can’t, and it’s time for the legal system to step up to the plate to fix this.

CPS Commissioner Jess Dickinson admitted the agent was short an astounding 240 caseworkers and 60 supervisors, and this is just the beginning when it comes to the myriad reasons the state’s foster system is ranked last in the country. Also at issue is the fact that this state is first when it comes to the number of children living in poverty. They are also ranked second for having the highest number of children in single-parent families. Add to that being the second-highest in child food insecurity and in infant mortality, and what you’re left with is a big mess.

So what is being done about this? The state has reduced the number of children in the system by 700. This is a good start, but it’s not enough. A federal judge has been asked to strip the state’s control from their system, and a children’s rights group has also asked a federal judge to appoint an independent party that would be charged with overseeing the system’s overhaul. We agree it is time for the federal government to step in. Do you agree? Have you personally dealt with the Mississippi system? Let us know in the comments!