by Health Impact News/MedicalKidnap.com Staff
At the same time that Arizona lawmakers have rejected common sense bills to protect families from abuse of power by dishonest social workers, an Arizona mother is battling the Arizona Department of Children and Families (DCF) to get her children back.
Aprilli Coumpy has completed everything asked of her, but her children are still not back home.
Now, DCF is demanding that she take down the Medical Kidnap articles and the Facebook page associated with her story.
It has been more than 2 years since her children were seized after what both Aprilli and her pediatrician termed an accidental incident, in which her toddler was burned when his 6 and 7 year old siblings accidentally spilled hot noodles on him when they decided to surprise their mommy with breakfast.
Never in a million years did the single mom of 5 dream that the state could have so much power as to take all of her children away for something that could happen in any home in the world. Others connected with her case believe that the DCF case manager, Lisa Millett, simply does not like Aprilli Coumpy, thus nothing that the mother does appears to be good enough.
Arizona DCF case worker Lisa Millett does not want her actions publicized on MedicalKidnap.com. Photo from her Facebook page.
See the Coumpy family’s original story:
Arizona Mother Loses 5 Children Over Incident Family Doctor Calls an Accident
Arizona Mom Still Fighting to Get Her 5 Children Back From the State 2 Years After Accident
DCF Case Manager Lisa Millett Demands MedicalKidnap.com Articles Be Removed
Recently, Lisa Millett has demanded that Aprilli takes down the Medical Kidnap articles from the internet.
Apparently, Ms. Millett does not understand that Freedom of the Press doesn’t work like that. Such strong-arm tactics by government employees may have been used in Nazi Germany or in Communist countries that desire to hide their actions from the public, but the U.S. still has something called The Constitution, and the Bill of Rights.
Parents don’t publish the articles on MedicalKidnap.com, and they cannot take them down.
Health Impact News interviews parents and publishes their stories under the protections of the 1st Amendment Freedom of the Press.
We will, however, publish a copy of the email that we have received. Attorneys sent the email to Aprilli with the demand:
Please take these pictures and sites down immediately.
Aprilli has complied as much as possible by taking down information and photos of her children from her personal Facebook page, the only page that she has any control over, and she sent us a copy of the email that she received.
Our position on these unconstitutional gag orders and restrictions on parents’ Freedom of Speech is clear, as we have stated before. In an article published shortly after the Medical Kidnap division of Health Impact News began, editor Brian Shilhavy wrote:
Since we have been publishing the stories of parents who have had their children seized by medical authorities and social service agencies over medical disputes, twice now we have had family court judges tell us, via the parents, to take down our stories because the parents were supposedly violating their gag orders.
Well, there is just one problem with those gag orders and judges’ orders to remove parents’ stories from the media: they are unconstitutional according to some of the top legal authorities in the United States.
See:
Family Court Judges’ Unconstitutional Gag Orders On Parents
Here is the email that was recently sent to Aprilli Coumpy:
Good afternoon everyone,
I am working on getting the CFT [Child Family Team] notes together. As far as the pictures on social media and Facebook, there are pictures up on [Aprilli’s ex’s] Facebook page. I didn’t see any pictures on the paternal grandmother’s page. I need you to be aware that Ms. Coumpy has posted numerous posts regarding the case, my full name, where I work (which office), pictures of the children on numerous media sites. We need to make this a request for all parties regarding social media pictures and posts. Below are some of the sites that Ms. Coumpy has put the case and her children out there:
https://www.facebook.com/ParentsProtectingGodsChildren
https://www.pinterest.com/pin/236650155398680896/
Lisa Millett
Child Safety Specialist
Department of Child Safety
8990 W. Peoria Ave 2nd Floor
Peoria, AZ 85345
Office 602-771-0212
Fax 623-334-6305
Note that this is the first time that Lisa Millett’s name or information has appeared in a Medical Kidnap article. Aprilli did not bring attention to her name when we interviewed her for the articles.
Did Lisa Millett Lie to the Court to Keep Custody of the Children?
However, it is clear that there are many issues with the way that Case Manager Lisa Millett has handled the Coumpy family case from the earliest days when the children were seized.
These are the very types of issues that Rep. Kelly Townsend’s legislation would have addressed.
According to a report by a parent aid agency commissioned by DCF to work with parents on behavioral changes requested by the agency, Aprilli “achieved all behavioral changes related to safety to address the reasons the children were placed into custody ….”
This meeting was held almost 18 months ago and signed off by both the parent aide and Lisa Millett on December 3, 2015. The parent aid stated that she “highly recommended” closure of the case, stating that the mother had completed everything and has shown herself to be “responsible for the care of her children.” She felt that it was “not in the children’s best interest to remain in foster placement.”
But the children were not returned home. Lisa Millett has allegedly reported to the court that Aprilli was NOT making the necessary behavioral changes.
Parent Aide Final Report signed off on December 3, 2015, which stated that Aprilli had completed all the necessary behavioral changes.
Millett reportedly told the judge that the mother was not complying with visits, but the parent aide stated that the changes in visits were not Aprilli’s fault. Visits were changed due to caregiver transportation issues or because the place where the visit was to take place was closed. Though none of this was under Aprilli’s control, it was presented to the court as though she was not concerned about visiting her children – a misrepresentation of the facts.
Even Foster Parents Allegedly Noticed Problems with Lisa Millett
Some of the children’s foster parents allegedly noticed the apparent hostility that Millett bore toward Aprilli and the “avoidable heartache” that accompanied that hostility. One foster parent (whose name is withheld to protect her privacy) said that Aprilli’s children were gifted, well-behaved, and respectful. She recognized that the children must have learned that from their upbringing:
She raised some pretty great kids and I think someone should look at that.
The foster parent reportedly expressed serious misgivings about the way that Lisa Millet has handled the case with “no regard for these kids whatsoever.” She was disturbed that the children were separated after leaving her care, to be placed into different group homes.
The youngest Coumpy child. Source: Parents Protecting God’s Children Facebook page.
Children Allegedly Drugged in Foster Care
At least two of the children are allegedly being drugged, but no one will tell their mother what medications they are on. The 9-year-old has said that he does not like the medicine he is on, but he is made to take it. Aprilli has repeatedly asked for information about what the children are taking and why, but DCF allegedly has not provided any such information to her or her attorney.
Her children have also reportedly regressed since being removed from their home.
Has Lisa Millett Treated Other Parents Unfairly?
There is reportedly a new judge involved in the case. Aprilli is trying to maintain hope that she can get her children home, but it has been more than 2 years since her children were seized from her home. Her oldest child has aged out of the system, but the other 4 children remain in foster care. Will a new judge look at her case with fresh eyes?
With the numerous reports of case manager Lisa Millett’s poor handling of the Coumpy case, the question arises – what kind of treatment have other families in Arizona experienced at Millett’s hands? Has she been truthful to the courts about other cases, or does she have a history of misleading the courts regarding the parents of the children she has seized?
Apparently, the majority of legislators in Arizona do not have a problem with DCF workers fabricating evidence, lying, withholding material evidence, or failing to disclose exculpatory evidence. As long as bills that forbid such actions continue to be blocked by lawmakers, it is likely that harm to children will continue at the hands of the state with the most state-sponsored child kidnappings.
See:
Arizona: Battleground for State-sponsored Child Kidnappings – Highest in the Nation
Arizona Lawmakers Block Bill To Protect Parents From Dishonest Child Protection Social Workers
There is a Facebook page that has been set up by supporters called Parents Protecting God’s Children.
Governor Doug Ducey must be called upon to stop the needless kidnapping of thousands of children in his state such as the Coumpy children. The DCF agency and the actions of the DCF workers are ultimately his responsibility. He may be contacted at 602 542 4331 or reached here. He is also on Facebook and Twitter.
Representative Rick Gray represents the Coumpy’s district. He may be reached at 602 926 5993, or contacted here.
The Senator for their district is Senator Barbara McGuire. She may be reached at 602 926 5836, or contacted here.
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