In re M.J. CA2/8

BACKGROUND

On September 19, 2014, mother and her children, then nine-year-old M.J., seven- year-old Ke.J., and six-year-old Ka.J., came to the attention of the Department when it received a referral alleging general neglect and emotional abuse. Mother had failed to pick up the children from school, and they had been left unsupervised for hours. The children were released from school at 2:50 p.m., watched a movie in a teacher’s classroom until 4:45 p.m., but were not picked up. School personnel attempted unsuccessfully to call mother. Around 6:00 p.m., the school principal drove the children home, but mother did not answer the door. Therefore, the principal drove the children back to the school. The school contacted mother’s neighbor, a former school district employee, who knocked on mother’s door until she awoke. The neighbor believed mother was intoxicated. Eventually, mother arrived at the school to pick up her children, but the after school program coordinator did not want to release the children to mother because she appeared to be under the influence of alcohol. However, mother took the children and

All further statutory references are to the Welfare and Institutions…