Washington Department of Early Learning not following state law | KREM.com Spokane
I made numerous whistle blower reports in 2005 to State Auditor Brian Sonntag through his whistle blower program. Sonntag initiated an investigation in February 2005 then abruptly stopped from completing the started investigation in May 2005.
In May 2005 I made additional whistleblower reports regarding the "shall" in RCW 74.15.030(2)(3) which means the department must complete background investigations. I had a thick pile of "character, competence and suitability" background clearance forms to submit for his investigation. In February 2005, the auditor's office asked for my documents and I delivered them. By May, 2005 they didn't and stopped the investigation.
I continued making whistleblower reports into August 2005. I now have acquired an email from August 2005 written by DSHS Secretary Robin Arnold-Williams where she stated she wanted my whistleblower complaints made on August 2, 2005 investigated and wondered if the State Auditor's Office would so. They did not.
A partial investigation was done from August 2005 to December 2005 with the DSHS employees out of the Southwest Washington region, the Vancouver Office. Before the DSHS "investigators" began their investigations, they promised supervisor, Darcy Taylor and the employees she supervised that no matter what was revealed to them in the course of their "investigation" no discipline or retaliation would occur from answering their questions. Even though it was a poorly done investigation the investigators did find problems. No discipline resulted.
Representative Ross Hunter and his Aide Marilyn Pedersen requested copies of the documents I sent to the State Auditor's Office.
In addition, I sent them copies of the documents that showed the Vancouver Office was ignoring serious and concerning background information, failing to complete their duties as required under RCW 74.15.030(2)(3). With their review, Rep Hunter wrote Brian Sonntag a letter expressing great concern about some of these applicants being approved to have contact with children.
Instead of Brian Sonntag then deciding to complete the investigation he started, the whistle blower reports became a hot potato and he threw the "investigation" over to Mary Meinig, the director, at the Office of Children and Family Ombudsman (OCFO )where they lanquished for five years and then Meinig wrote a letter stating her office didn't have the authority to investigate.
As I've shared previously with the public that office created in 1996 was transparent and the child death reviews actually mentioned that DSHS had managers and supervisors. Not many years later by reading the child death reports you would not know that DSHS had managers. Then somebody created a law that no one can see the documents OCFO used in their child death investigations, NOT EVEN THE COURTS IN THE STATE OF WASHINGTON.
I was encouraged by legislators I testified to in February 2005 (including chair, Rep. Ruth Kagi) to make whistleblower reports. I personally handed to Rep. Kagi that day in February 2005 copies of records that had been removed from a licensing file in 2002. Through an new office duty I had been given this discovery came to may attention.
In January 2004 two year old Hailee Rhoades had been slammed down in her playpen by licensed family home provider Danette Zaring in Spokane and received permanent brain damage. In April 2004, a little boy was run over by a car in the driveway of Vancouver unlicensed daycare provider Minnie Jones (her licensor was ordered to act as though she still had a license when she didn't), by June another little boy drowned in the Tacoma area and DSHS hit my
tipping point as author Malcolm Gladwell calls it.
I went outside the agency and ended up on a special King 5 News Investigators report on licensed daycare and why it took so long in a third of the revocations letters they reviewed to revoke a license. By February 2005 I make more whistle blower reports as well as writing open emails to anyone and everyone I could think of in state government and Boeing to call for the whistle blower investigations to be completed.
No one but Rep. Ross Hunter stepped forward to directly take on the issue of protecting your children while you are away at work, praying that your children are being treated with love and kindness let alone still be alive when you pick them up.
By December 1, 2005, nine months later, eighteen month old Jaclyn Frank died in the Julie Norris licensed family home daycare in the Seattle area.
Five years later KREM television station in Spokane, Washington reported:
"The state auditor’s office based their research in Southwest Washington. Investigators were following up on earlier issues with DEL dating back to 2003. Of the 17 daycare centers visited, 13 did not finish background checks and DEL staff could not verify that even half of the checks were done."
Bolding is mine.
The State Auditor focused their audit in the Southwest Washington because I wouldn't quit, I wouldn't shut up and wouldn't give up even when DSHS fired me in 2006. Instead I became a small business person, an entrepreneur, an analyst, researcher and expert witness to help folks get some measure of justice.
While children's safety and protection comes first, I have also assisted licensed daycare providers who were being dealt with unjustly by the state child care licensing agency by whatever name you call them. After too many children die and the media puts too much attention on those deaths, the bureaucracy changes its name and hires another director that knows little or nothing about daycare licensing.
I've told State Auditor Brian Sonntag, Governor Christine Gregoire and Attorney General Rob McKenna I am looking for some heroes and that it is never too late to be that hero. When the newest named daycare licensing agency came into being, the Department of Early Learning (DEL) I consulted pro bono with Southwest Area Manager, Josh Verville to assist the new agency by giving them my historical knowledge and expertise.
I'm available to discuss with both candidates for Governor, Rob McKenna and Jay Inslee, Congressman, about daycare licensing to share my history, knowledge and experience so both can build into their platforms the protection of children.
As Washington State Wire analyzed, both candidates devoted only about 12% of their announcement campaign speeches to the problems of state government.
I've stopped by Brian Sonntag's Office and was treated very respectfully, however, my message I left, to request a meeting with him to help improve the whistleblower program has not been responded to by him.
A thank you to Brian Sonntag for doing that background clearance audit on DEL in Southwest Washington in 2010 even if it was five years after I first made those whistle blower reports to him. In 2006, Kim Hurley, in his office upon meeting me wanted to immediately hire me because of my knowledge about the "character, competence and suitability" piece of the background clearance process; to help out with that audit that had originally been set to be done in 2006.
As George Bush might say, Who were the "deciders" back in May 2005 that stopped State Auditor Brian Sonntag from completing his investigations he started on my numerous whistle blower reports?
Who had the power to stop the whistleblower investigation...dead in its tracks?
