Boerners vs Nicollet County adoption system
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Author:
n/a -
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Nicollet County, Mankato, Minnesota
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Sponsored By:
community members of Holmes City -
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Two friends of ours, Bruce and Sara Boerner, are attempting to adopt their five year old niece. They learned of her placement in foster care in June of 2003 and immediately pursued adoption. Nicollet County social workers assigned to her case as well as the court-appointed Guardian Ad-Litem, counselor/therapist, and lawyers are recommending for her to be adopted by the foster family she was placed with in June of 2003 instead of her being adopted by members of her birth family, Bruce and Sara.
Both the natural parents have had their parental rights terminated. Nobody on the birth mother's side has filed for adoption, but the Nicollet county legal system insists on keeping the 5 year old in Mankato, Minnesota area for their benefit. The birth father's side, namely Bruce and Sara, have expressed interest in her reunification with her birth relatives as well as aunts, uncles and grandparents who live in Douglas county, which is approximately 200 miles from the Mankato area. The Boerners have spent countless hours and thousands of dollars pleading their case only to hear one excuse after another on why they can't be united with their niece. Nicollet county's latest excuse is the distance she would be away from her family in Mankato (the one's that aren't looking to adopt her) is too great, even after Bruce and Sara have agreed to facilitate visitation with any of her relatives, regardless of distance.
Minnesota statute, section 260c.212, subdivision 2 states the following:
The authorized child-placing agency shall place a child released by court order or by voluntary release by the parent or parents, in a family foster home selected by considering placement with relatives and important friends in the following order:
(1) with an individual who is related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption;
The Minnesota Adoption and Safe Families Act states the following:
If child not returned home, the dispositions available for permanent placement are:
1. permanent legal and physical custody to a relative in the best interests of the child
2. termination of parental rights and adoption
3. long-term foster care, but only if court finds that neither an award of legal and physical custody to a relative nor termination of parental rights nor adoption is in the childs best interest, and other specified factors
4. foster care for a specified period of time, but only if child is a runaway, an habitual truant or committed a delinquent act before age ten and the court finds foster care is in the childs best interest.
The Minnesota Adoption and Safe Families Act also states that distance should not be a factor in considering relative placement/adoption and will disallow any IV funding if a state denies or delays the placement of a child for adoption when an approved family is available outside their jurisdiction (Title 2, section 202).
We are in the 11th hour. The county is ready to hand this girl over to a non-relative family she barely knows, basically ignoring the laws and statutes put in place to protect children and keep them united with their real families. Bruce and Sara are hoping beyond hope that something will change their minds.
Please take a stand with us and help fight this drawn out unnecessary court battle over a child they have every legal right to adopt. This is an opinion petition and as such can be signed by any person of any age living in any state or country. If you agree, please sign our petition and pass it along to as many people as you can.
Both the natural parents have had their parental rights terminated. Nobody on the birth mother's side has filed for adoption, but the Nicollet county legal system insists on keeping the 5 year old in Mankato, Minnesota area for their benefit. The birth father's side, namely Bruce and Sara, have expressed interest in her reunification with her birth relatives as well as aunts, uncles and grandparents who live in Douglas county, which is approximately 200 miles from the Mankato area. The Boerners have spent countless hours and thousands of dollars pleading their case only to hear one excuse after another on why they can't be united with their niece. Nicollet county's latest excuse is the distance she would be away from her family in Mankato (the one's that aren't looking to adopt her) is too great, even after Bruce and Sara have agreed to facilitate visitation with any of her relatives, regardless of distance.
Minnesota statute, section 260c.212, subdivision 2 states the following:
The authorized child-placing agency shall place a child released by court order or by voluntary release by the parent or parents, in a family foster home selected by considering placement with relatives and important friends in the following order:
(1) with an individual who is related to the child by blood, marriage, or adoption;
The Minnesota Adoption and Safe Families Act states the following:
If child not returned home, the dispositions available for permanent placement are:
1. permanent legal and physical custody to a relative in the best interests of the child
2. termination of parental rights and adoption
3. long-term foster care, but only if court finds that neither an award of legal and physical custody to a relative nor termination of parental rights nor adoption is in the childs best interest, and other specified factors
4. foster care for a specified period of time, but only if child is a runaway, an habitual truant or committed a delinquent act before age ten and the court finds foster care is in the childs best interest.
The Minnesota Adoption and Safe Families Act also states that distance should not be a factor in considering relative placement/adoption and will disallow any IV funding if a state denies or delays the placement of a child for adoption when an approved family is available outside their jurisdiction (Title 2, section 202).
We are in the 11th hour. The county is ready to hand this girl over to a non-relative family she barely knows, basically ignoring the laws and statutes put in place to protect children and keep them united with their real families. Bruce and Sara are hoping beyond hope that something will change their minds.
Please take a stand with us and help fight this drawn out unnecessary court battle over a child they have every legal right to adopt. This is an opinion petition and as such can be signed by any person of any age living in any state or country. If you agree, please sign our petition and pass it along to as many people as you can.
784 Signatures
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Chad Schmitz
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Matt Kangas
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Jeff Finckler
- Comments
- Good luck
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Brad Anderson
- Comments
- Good luck and God bless
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Jeffrey Jarchow
- Comments
- Family should come first, Let's get this done.
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Greg Olson
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Alyssa Christenson
- Comments
- The fact that one of the foster parents work for social services is a conflict of interest! I believe laws have been made for a reason and should be followed. Keep her with family!!!
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Amanda Kvitek
- Comments
- Bruce-Sara I wish you all the luck!!! You guys are in your thoughts-
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chris cachuela
- Comments
- When ever possible the child is placed with Family whats different with this child?? She should be with people who are family and love her.
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Lydia Kranz
- Comments
- I'm friends with Amand Kvitek and have heard about your battle... I hope you win this so this beautiful girl can be at home with you.
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Shannon Putnam
- Comments
- Sad Story!
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Rick Flood
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Ken Nelson
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Ray Swenson
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Loyd Anderson
- Comments
- Family first!! There's another child waiting somewhere that could have benefited by now if the perps would end the standoff!
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Krista Portinga
- Comments
- Where is the justice?
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Chris Boyington
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Diane R Christ
- Comments
- Let's help keep families together! The child should be given to her relatives who can care for her and love her, and want her. I am disappointed in how taxpayers money is paying to keep this family apart.
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marilyn Hrabik
- Comments
- does the city get more money keeping the child longer or something
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Teresa Brunes
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Jeff Olson
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Krissie Rose
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Jennifer Wyatt
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Brenda Shears
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Rebecca Renfroe
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Adam cason
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- bruce and sara are great people, tyring to do a very unselfish act. they deserve the right to keep thier family together
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Brian K. Gallus
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Kerri A. Lehner
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- It disgusts me to know in this day and age in our great state of Minnesota that families have to literally fight to keep their families together. What is wrong with you people working for Nicollet County? Where are your morals and sense of responsibility to this child?
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James Michael Miller
- Comments
- This is OUTRAGOUS!!!!!! I'm shocked and angered beyond belief after reading this sad story! Criminal charges should be brought against the perps. That's right I called them perps because that's what they are doing perpatrating a crime against this family!
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LuAnn Tweit
- Comments
- I work with Sara and we all wish Sara and Bruce the best of luck!! The Boerners would make great parents!
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Michelle M Haider
- Comments
- Too many children live in unloving homes. Let family take care of family and give this girl a chance. Family values have fallen the wayside in recent history let's do out part in helping restore those values. Start with this little girl and HER FAMILY!!!
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Greg Kemper
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kathy ness
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Lynn Meis
- Comments
- All children should be kept within a family. I think it is terrible that a county can be allowed to pervent this from happening. We have enough children to worry about that do not have their own families to adopt them, We do not need to include those that do. We should not make it expensive or traumatic on families to take care of their own family member, life is hard enough without adding these kinds of problems..
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Joe Bauernfeind
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Chris Portinga
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Jessica Staton
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Barbara Bauer
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Mark Janzen
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Emojean Frieda Altman
- Comments
- Keeping this child from bonding with her family is one of the biggest injustices I've ever heard... When the system that is suppose to protect our children circumvent our own laws for their own special interests someone or something has to intercede to protect the child and the family... These people should be held accountable for their actions... We shouldn't have a self appointed dictator calling the shots on something that should have been resolved months ago... Thank you...
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Sharon Olson
- Comments
- Do the right thing!
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Daniel Dillman
- Comments
- People ARE watching. Do the right thing.
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Julie Houle
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Nick Stachowski
- Comments
- Aunt Sara and Uncle Bruce would make great parents
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Susan M. Scheehle
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Karen Sarrack
- Comments
- Shame on Nicollet County!
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Diane L. Thibodeau
- Comments
- Their neice belongs with them-FAMILY
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Jo Ann Kidd
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Amy Koppen
- Comments
- I want to know WHY the Boerner's have had such a problem adopting thier neice. There are so many children in foster care without any relative wanting to keep, let alone adopt them. I believe there should be a legal investigation by an agency outside of the County and its employees to reduce any bias, which has obviously occured.
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Suzanne Hartman
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784
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