Minnesota

Racial disparities in child protection prompt Minnesota legislation, federal complaint

Published

2 years ago

April 20, 2024

Press Room

Racial disparities in child protection prompt Minnesota legislation, federal complaint

Layla Jackson never returned to her mother.

The cheerful, observant 17-month-old was murdered by her foster father in 2018.

Latasha Bacon said child protection workers should not have removed her daughter from her care after the girl returned from a babysitter’s with a broken leg. Bacon, who is Black and Native American, is part of a movement demanding Minnesota rethink its child protection system that has disproportionately penalized families of color.

“Nobody wants to say, ‘Racism is very much still alive.’ Nobody wants to say that our system is broken,” said Bacon, who mentors other parents involved with child protection. “A lot of these parents are being faulted for neglect for being broke and living below the poverty guidelines. Instead of being given the resources, they are just taking their kids away.”

A Minnesota family’s chances of being reported for child maltreatment varies dramatically depending on their race. So does the likelihood a kid will be removed from their family, or reunited with them down the road.

The Minneapolis branch of the NAACP recently filed a federal civil rights complaint saying discrimination in the child welfare system is devastating Black families, particularly in Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

Advocates are also pressing for action at the State Capitol, where they hope that after years of failed attempts, lawmakers will pass legislation this session to address unequal outcomes. The bill is named the Layla Jackson Law.

“African American families are coming into the system for less serious allegations than our Caucasian peers, yet we continue to face the most harsh and punitive outcomes,” Kelis Houston, chairwoman of the local NAACP’s child protection committee, recently told lawmakers. “What we’re asking for today is for this state to stop harming our children.”

State takes aim at disparities

African American families are at the center of recent advocacy, but state data shows gaping child protection disparities for many demographic groups. The differences are particularly stark for Native American families.

Native American kids are 16 times more likely to be removed from their families than white children in the state, according to the most recent state report on out-of-home placements. Kids who identify as two or more races are seven times more likely.

African American and Hispanic children are twice as likely as their white peers to be taken from their homes. Children with disabilities are also disproportionately represented in foster care.

The bill at the Capitol, which has expanded to include African American and “disproportionately represented children,” aims to ensure there are “active efforts” to keep a child with their family or reunify them as soon as possible; that child welfare staff get cultural competency training, and a portal is created where people can report noncompliance with the law. It would also establish a grant program to provide training to social services agencies, court advocacy, culturally specific family counseling and other services.

The legislation doesn’t have a price tag yet.

Associations representing counties, social service administrators and county attorneys have said they support the overall aim, but raised some concerns. Counties have said the law won’t succeed without more state spending to bolster the child welfare workforce, services, training and technology. And county attorneys proposed changes to the bill that they said would better ensure “necessary public safety safeguards.”

“Safety, of course, is first and foremost,” said Rep. Esther Agbaje, DFL-Minneapolis. But she said when child protection gets involved, “We also don’t want to be overly onerous on folks who are just trying to raise their families.”

Some goals of the bill are already underway. The Department of Human Services created the African American Child Well-being Unit in 2020, which is launching a pilot program to provide $3 million in grants for community efforts to prevent child abuse and keep families together.

The state unit also set up an advisory council to review data, advise on priorities and review issues, said Tikki Brown, assistant commissioner for children and family services at the DHS. The legislation would enshrine the advisory council in law.

Lawmakers are also working on a bill to strengthen a decades-old state law that expanded on the federal Indian Child Welfare Act, which governs the removal of Native American children from their families.

“For our Native kids, they were removed for very discretionary reasons” and kept in foster care longer, said Sen. Mary Kunesh, DFL-New Brighton.

Counties have failed to notify tribes of child protection proceedings and are not ensuring that tribes have a say in foster care placements to try to keep kids with kin, she said. Her bill aims to ensure those steps are taken and would mandate that court officials ask about American Indian heritage in all child protection proceedings and make it easier for tribes to participate in that legal process.

Hennepin, Ramsey county critiques

The NAACP’s civil rights complaint calls for an investigation into discrimination and how federal funds are used in Minnesota’s child protection system. It zeroes in on Hennepin and Ramsey counties.

Cindy Devonish, a Hennepin County child protection worker and NAACP member, said she’s seen the disparities firsthand and told lawmakers she was removed from a case where she objected to terminating parental rights.

“This is unequal treatment that comes at a high cost to our community as a whole,” Devonish said.

The NAACP asked the federal government to compel Minnesota and the counties to comply with the Civil Rights Act and pressed the state to create additional procedures to document racial equity issues. It raised concerns with law enforcement emergency removals of children, a lack of services to support Black families and the state’s safety and risk assessment tools.

Ramsey County agreed the DHS should update its risk assessment tool, noting that having more children in a home can contribute to a determination that a child is at higher risk. But Kathy Hedin, Ramsey County’s deputy county manager of health and wellness, said focusing on emergency removals doesn’t give an accurate picture of how they are addressing disparities. Such holds, which allow child protection to assess whether there’s an unsafe situation, are typically initiated by law enforcement and don’t automatically result in permanent removal, she said.

Both Ramsey and Hennepin County staff stressed that they have added services that help support and keep Black families together. In 2020, the Hennepin County Board declared racism to be a public health crisis and officials launched a three-year pilot with Village Arms, an organization dedicated to reducing child protection disparities for Black families.

Village Arms leaders say their pilot proved strategies being considered by state lawmakers could be successful: 90% of the 200 families the group worked with avoided having a child removed from the home. But those who worked on the pilot say they also saw troubling behavior from some county child protection workers.

“We experienced some of the most blatant racist attacks on those trying to prevent out of home placement for African American children,” said Thomas Berry, co-chair of the NAACP child protection services committee, who worked on the Village Arms pilot, which ended in December.

Jodi Wentland, deputy county administrator for human services, said Hennepin County officials have been working since 2017 to transform the child protection system and eliminate racial disparities.

“This work is difficult and complex,” Wentland said in a statement. “Above all, we want to see children safe at home, in healthy, stable families.”

Star Tribune staff writer Christopher Magan contributed to this story.

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Minnesota

Maddy Kimbrel Named Minnesota’s 2026 Ms. Hockey Winner

Published

10 hours ago

March 4, 2026

Press Room

Maddy Kimbrel Named Minnesota’s 2026 Ms. Hockey Winner

Maddy Kimbrel joined an illustrious group of players as Minnesota’s 2026 Ms. Hockey winner. The award is annually given to the best high school women’s hockey player in the state of Minnesota.

The Holy Family forward scored 37 goals and 57 points this season in only 26 games for her school.

She was also an assistant captain for Team USA at the 2026 U-18 World Championships winning gold. It was her second time representing USA at the event.

Kimbrel spent four seasons playing for Orono High before moving to Holy Family this season.

The 17-year-old Mound, Minnesota product is headed to the University of Wisconsin next season.

The other four finalists for the award were Alaina Gentz (Centennial/SLP), Jasmine Hovda (Roseau), Lorelai Nelson (Edina), and Mia Miller (Northfield).

Past winners of the award include current PWHL players such as Taylor Heise (2018), Peyton Hemp (2021), Olivia Mobley (2020), Grace Zumwinkle (2017), and Hannah Brandt (2012), and 2024 Hockey Hall of Fame inductee Krissy Wendell-Pohl.

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Minnesota

Bemidji declares March as Minnesota Food Share Month; hears Project Graduate report

Published

22 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Bemidji declares March as Minnesota Food Share Month; hears Project Graduate report

BEMIDJI — The city of Bemidji declared March as Minnesota Food Share Month in partnership with the

Minnesota FoodShare March Campaign

during a

city council

meeting on Monday. This campaign is the largest grassroots food and fund drive in Minnesota.

“Food insecurity affects thousands of Minnesotans, including residents of Bemidji and the greater Beltrami County area, and access to nutritious food is fundamental to the health and dignity, and well-being of every community member,” the proclamation reads. “Local food shelves depend on the generosity of community donations to meet the growing needs of our neighbors, and every contribution — whether food, funds or time — makes a direct difference in the lives of Bemidji residents.

“The city of Bemidji proudly recognizes the extraordinary contributions of the volunteers, donors and partner organizations whose compassion and dedication ensure that no neighbor goes without, and the city of Bemidji is committed to fostering a compassionate and caring community where all residents are supported and encouraged to look out for one another in times of need.”

Ward 2 Councilor Josh Peterson read the proclamation as Mayor Jorge Prince attended the meeting virtually. Peterson attempted to award the proclamation to a Bemidji Community Food Shelf representative, but no one was available to receive it.

John Eggers,

a former educator, gave a presentation to the council regarding his Project Graduate initiative, which promotes 100% graduation rates within Beltrami County during Monday’s meeting.

“It’s not an easy task to do, but we can do it,” Eggers remarked.

Eggers shared personal efforts to promote a 100% graduation rate within Beltrami County, such as promoting graduation as a teacher at Red Lake High School recently. He hopes to do more work in Red Lake in the future.

Eggers also formed an alliance of local Bemidji businesses to promote Project Graduate. Each business will find a unique way to promote higher graduation rates while working with the alliance. Additionally, Eggers has spent the last several years forming an advocacy program that has now spread to 12 states and five countries worldwide.

He then shared ideas for the council to follow to promote the initiative. This included joining the alliance, displaying posters, “relentlessly” promoting high graduation rates, starting a PSA campaign, adding the initiative to the city’s website or newsletter and signing a proclamation.

He noted that in 2025, the city signed a proclamation and other Beltrami County cities followed suit, meaning Bemidji could once again set the trend to promote higher graduation rates.

Ward 1 Councilor Gwenia Fiskevold Gould asked how the initiative addresses underlying issues that affect

declining graduation rates

within Beltrami County, such as housing instability and food insecurity.

Eggers did not have a direct answer, but noted that graduation often helps young people climb out of bad situations. He believes that all people deal with adversity and that graduation is an important tool to help improve their quality of life.

He also pointed out that graduation rates among white students have remained steady when compared to statewide trends, but that students of color and Indigenous students’ graduation rates are lower than the state average, something that needs to be addressed to help these communities.

Finally, Eggers noted that the initiative’s drop-out prevention hotline was recently discontinued, but that students or parents can reach out to Eggers directly to receive the help needed to stay in school.

Overall, council members thanked Eggers for his Project Graduate presentation. His contact information can be found on his website,

johnrogereggers.com.

The council will next meet at 6 p.m. on Monday, March 16, at City Hall for a regular meeting. Meetings can be viewed on

the city’s website.

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Minnesota

Minnesota sues to block Trump administration’s withholding of Medicaid funds

Published

1 day ago

March 3, 2026

Press Room

Minnesota sues to block Trump administration’s withholding of Medicaid funds

Minnesota on Monday sued President Donald Trump’s administration in an attempt to stop it from withholding $243 million in Medicaid spending, warning it may have to cut health care for low-income families if the funding is held back.

The lawsuit asked a U.S. court in Minneapolis to issue a temporary restraining order to block the withholding for Medicaid, which is the health care safety net for low-income Americans.

The move came after Vice President JD Vance said last week the administration would “temporarily halt” some Medicaid funding to Minnesota over fraud concerns, as part of what he described as an aggressive crackdown on misuse of public funds.

Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said his office has a strong track record of fighting Medicaid fraud and has won more than 300 convictions and $80 million in judgments and restitutions during his time in office.

“Trump’s attempts to look like he’s fighting fraud only punish the people and families who most need the high-quality, affordable healthcare that all Minnesotans deserve,” Ellison said in a statement. “As long as I am attorney general, I will do everything in my power to defend our tax dollars, both from fraudsters and from the Trump administration’s cruelty.”

The lawsuit names the Department of Health and Human Services and the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services as well as Dr. Mehmet Oz, in his official capacity as CMS administrator, and Robert F. Kennedy Jr. in his official capacity as HHS secretary.

The Department of Health and Human Services, which includes CMS, didn’t immediately return messages seeking comment late Monday.

The threatened cuts amount to roughly 7% of Minnesota’s quarterly Medicaid funding, Ellison’s office said in a news release. Minnesota could be required to significantly cut health care services for low-income families or other government services if the cuts take effect, it said.

Medicaid, which is known as Medical Assistance in Minnesota, provides health insurance to 1.2 million Minnesotans who would otherwise be unable to afford it. A family of four may qualify for Medical Assistance with an income at or under $42,759, the attorney general’s office said.

The lawsuit said the administration violated due process procedures because it was taking hundreds of millions of dollars without proving Minnesota’s noncompliance with Medicaid regulations through discovery and an evidentiary hearing.

It alleged the administration failed to provide Minnesota with details about its decision, in violation of federal law. It cited legal precedents, including one that said Congress may impose conditions on states’ acceptance of federal funds, but “’the conditions must be set out unambiguously.’”

Minnesota’s complaint further charged the administration violated the Constitution because the withholding imposed retroactive conditions on Minnesota’s Medicaid funding.

It said withholding the funds was arbitrary, capricious and part of a pattern of political punishment of Minnesota.

The administration said it would hold off on paying $259.5 million to Minnesota for Medicaid spending in the fourth quarter of 2025. Minnesota’s lawsuit challenges the withholding of $243 million of this money.

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