Colorado’s governor Jared Polls signed a bill into law last Wednesday to clarify that children could play outside or walk to school without it being considered abuse or neglect. Under the previous law a child was considered neglected if its environment was ‘injurious to the child’s health or welfare”, which led to a spike in complaints against parents The bill signed into law by Mr. Polis “clarifies that a child is not neglected when allowed to participate in certain independent activities that a reasonable and prudent parent, guardian, or legal custodian would consider safe given the child’s maturity, condition, and abilities.” It includes activities like walking to school alone and playing outside. Many Colorado parents have been accused of neglect or abuse for allowing their children to play outside, with one child telling the Sun she was visited by police after running in her neighborhood.
Link: The Independent
Photo: Getty Images