Letters to the Editor for Aug. 12

If you suspect child abuse, report it

I was pleased to read your reporting about the recent changes made by the Jackson County School District Board of Trustees regarding reporting child abuse; and the new statutory obligation to report child abuse to MDE. However, missing from the coverage was a discussion of Mississippi's mandatory reporting statute Miss. Code Ann. Section 43-21-353.

This statute has long required school employees to report child abuse. It provides that "Any ... public ... school employee or any other person having reasonable cause to suspect that a child is a neglected child or an abused child, shall cause a ... report to be made to the Department of Human Services."

That statute also provides that anyone willfully failing to do so shall be, upon being found guilty, punished by a fine not to exceed $5000.00, or by imprisonment in jail not to exceed one (1) year or both.

The definition of an "abused child" includes, among other things: "emotional abuse, mental injury, non-accidental physical injury or other maltreatment." Miss. Code Section 43-21-105 (m).

I wonder whether Jackson County officials had a duty to report the bus driver videoed gagging and sitting on the special needs student to DHS, and whether a failure to timely report it to DHS would violate the above quoted statute.

Parents whose children are experiencing such issues should notify DHS. They may also contact the Mississippi Center for Justice if they need assistance.

The people behind the least terns

The Audubon Mississippi Coastal Bird Stewardship Program had a very successful least tern nesting season.

This is due to the teamwork of the Audubon professionals (Sarah Pacyna, Abby Darrah, Molly Caldwell, Bryan White, Melinda Averhart), volunteers (coordinator Whitney Garrison) and the deputies of Harrison County (Sheriff Troy Peterson).

These colony stewards and deputies work as sentinels to redirect people from the colony.

The opportunity to educate both residents and tourists regarding the importance of protecting the natural resources that we have on the Mississippi Gulf Coast is invaluable.

Our message is “Share our Seas and Shores. We want to protect our natural resources in Mississippi for all to enjoy.”

Give Trump a little more time

We got conned!

We sure did, eight years of Obama took the USA back 50 years. President Trump has been in office 17 months with a Democratic Party that blocks every single step.

We have the lowest unemployment in history, tax cuts, a much better Veterans Administration, this is really important to me as a veteran, North Korea is coming to the table, something I never thought would happen. But the world has respect for America again, something that was lost by the previous administrations running this country.

Our military is strong and getting stronger and morale has never been higher.

The trade tariffs were completely unfair and out of control. We are becoming energy independent as a nation.

And the ban on travel from countries that we can't possibly vet has been upheld by the Supreme Court.

You will not see this in the mainstream media but Iran is imploding from within.

President Trump is halfway through his first term.

I'd give him a little more time because he's not afraid to fight for all of us. Real leaders in today's world are rare and we have a great patriot that truly loves his country.

Do you know slavery still exists?

It would surprise most Americans to know that slavery still exists. It surprised me.

In fact, right now, more than 40 million people are someone else’s property — enslaved in factories, fishing boats, and brothels.

On June 28, 2018, the U.S. State Department released the 2018 Trafficking in Persons Report, which shines a spotlight on human trafficking, and ranks 188 countries on their efforts to bring an end this crime within their borders.

It is essential that this annual report tell the truth about slavery so we can effectively work toward a world where everyone is free.

The Trump administration and Congress should utilize U.S. diplomacy and foreign aid to combat slavery, specifically by protecting the integrity of the report, reauthorizing the Tafficking Victims Protection Act, appointing a new abassador to head the TIP office, and fully funding U.S. efforts to bring an end to this stoppable crime.