As the new school year ramps up and the economic downturn of the COVID-19 pandemic continues, parents are having to make tough financial decisions. Nonprofits and social service agencies say they see families struggling to purchase materials for school, access child care and put food on the table.
Children & Families
About 1 in 5 children in Michigan live in poverty. Bridge will explore the reasons behind this disturbing result and the ideas to address it.
Posted inChildren & Families
Judge closes case on Michigan teenager detained for not doing homework
The 15-year-old is now free from the court system. In a hearing, an Oakland County judge released her from probation after a caseworker said, “It is best for the family to move forward.”
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Michigan’s new coronavirus order: masks for little kids at camp, child care
Following an outbreak at a camp, Gov. Gretchen Whitmer on Thursday issued another executive order requiring masks for those older than 2. Child care officials say most already were taking similar precautions.
Posted inChildren & Families
Prosecutors support releasing Michigan girl detained for not doing schoolwork
Although earlier this year prosecutors pushed for the detention of a Michigan high schooler during the COVID-19 pandemic, they have now repeatedly said they support sending her home to her mother.
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Judge won’t free Michigan teen incarcerated after not doing online homework
At a hearing Monday, Judge Mary Ellen Brennan denied a motion to release a 15-year-old from a juvenile facility. “I think you are exactly where you are supposed to be,” Brennan said. “You are blooming there, but there is more work to be done.”
Posted inChildren & Families
Michigan Supreme Court reviewing case of incarcerated teen
Attorneys for a 15-year-old sent to juvenile detention for not doing her schoolwork argued the teenager is not a threat to the community, contrary to a judge’s ruling. Now Michigan’s Supreme Court is stepping in.
Posted inChildren & Families
Critics demand Michigan #FreeGrace after teen incarcerated for not doing schoolwork
After a ProPublica investigation, public officials are pushing for the release of a Black 15-year-old sent to juvenile detention after a judge ruled that not doing her online schoolwork violated her probation. A petition has thousands of signatures.
Posted inChildren & Families
Birmingham student didn’t do classwork, was sent to juvenile detention
A 15-year-old in Michigan was incarcerated during the coronavirus pandemic after a judge ruled that not completing her schoolwork violated her probation. “It just doesn’t make any sense,” said the girl’s mother.
Posted inChildren & Families
'End of an era’: American Indian Services closes after 49 years
With American Indian Services closing on July 9, thousands of urban Native Americans in the Detroit area are scrambling to find new options for culture-based care.
Posted inChildren & Families
Stay home, don’t stay safe. Domestic violence calls up amid Michigan lockdown
Michigan’s coronavirus lockdown has abuse victims facing a hellish choice: Endure or flee to uncertainty of global pandemic. Many may be sticking it out, as calls for help have increased, but requests for shelter beds and to police are flat.