New York – Following the death of an autistic teenager who walked away from his New York City school last year, the U.S. Department of Justice said Wednesday it will fund voluntary tracking devices for children with autism or other conditions that put them at risk for fleeing their caregivers.
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The family of Avonte Oquendo and New York Sen. Charles Schumer had called last weekend for legislation to provide GPS tracking devices for autistic children and others with a tendency to bolt from parents or caregivers. On Wednesday, Schumer and the Justice Department said existing grant funds would be used.
Avonte’s disappearance from his Queens school on Oct. 4 triggered a massive search. The 14-year-old’s remains were found in the East River earlier this month, miles away from where he was last seen.
The cause of Avonte’s death remains under investigation.
Schumer said the federal government already provides grant funding for devices to track seniors with Alzheimer’s and the Department of Justice will now allow for grant funds to include children with autism spectrum disorder.
Schumer said the program would be voluntary for parents and would be run by police departments or other local law enforcement entities.
Schumer’s legislation was to have been called Avonte’s Law. He said he would continue to push for the legislation in order to provide a stable funding stream. Schumer had put the cost of each monitor at about $85, plus a few dollars in monthly fees.
And I assume these GPS tracking devices are free and grow on trees. Why don’t the parents provide these devices or at least seek coverage under their medical insurance. Why does the government (meaning our tax dollars) now pay for nearly everything that families used to take responsibility for. There are parents who are advised early in pregnancy that a child will incur a physical disability for life yet they make a conscious decision to carry the child to term. There is really a question whether they can then turn to the taxpayers and say YOU must pay millions of dollars to care for him for his entire life. Its not OUR responsibility. The government is already taking 50 cents of every dollar we earn and De Blasio and Cuomo say they want MORE….when is enough, enough??
Puting your total disregard for special needs aside, who are you to deside that one may even terminate the pregnancy for this reason, either you don’t know halacha or are not Jewish so you don’t know that there at laws about this given by g-d even for no -Jews which are called the 7 Noach laws.
I am often amazed by the intimate knowledge people feel they have when they read this blog.
I am a fairly well educated parent of an autistic child. I probably studied more than others, never took drugs or alcohol except for Kidush.
Let us return to the original discussion; Do you feel parents should be responsible forever if their children developed as special through no fault of their own? Should wealthy parents be responsible if their typical, not special children use food stamps? How about if they use scholarship money? The argument I hear from you is parents should be forever responsible. The Government considers parents no longer responsible after 18.
You refer to a 50% tax rate. I would be surprised if you, #1 pay that high a rate no matter how you calculate it.