Arizona
Calls for Department of Justice to investigate DCS treatment of children with type 1 diabetes
PHOENIX — An Arizona attorney is calling on the U.S. Department of Justice to investigate whether the Arizona Department of Child Safety has a pattern of discriminating against children with disabilities after two boys with type 1 diabetes died in state custody.
Robert Pastor represents the families of Jacob Blodgett and Christian Williams, both of whom were placed in group homes by DCS and died after failing to receive the care they needed for type 1 diabetes.
In a sworn deposition taken on March 31, 2026, a DCS licensing manager acknowledged that diabetes is a disability protected under the Americans with Disabilities Act and that the state is required to make accommodations for children with the condition.
Pastor said that admission stood out to him in the testimony, “How willing and readily they admitted that these children deserve to have the medicine they needed, and admitting that they knew this was a disability, they knew they had to accommodate it.”
Pastor also pointed to deposition testimony confirming there was no specific training given to group homes on the care and management of Type 1 diabetes before Christian’s death in July 2024.
“If you looked at those two cases in the pattern and behavior, you see that the Department of Child Safety put both children in group homes that were poorly trained and had zero knowledge or understanding of the disease,” Pastor said.
Last month, Pastor sent a letter to the Department of Justice asking federal officials to investigate whether DCS has a pattern of discriminating against children with disabilities.
“We need someone to come in who is not within the Department of Child Safety, because under the current administration, they’re unwilling to be critical of themselves. Take accountability and do what’s needed to make sure other children don’t die,” Pastor said.
Christian Williams was 15 years old when Mesa police body camera video captured him being found unconscious in July 2024.
The medical examiner ruled Williams died from diabetic ketoacidosis, a preventable condition caused by not having enough insulin.
Police records show he had been allowed to refuse his insulin, and when group home staff finally called 911, it was too late.
“They failed us,” his mother, Bobbie Williams, said.
Jacob Blodgett was 9 years old when he died from the same condition in December 2022. Records show group home staff also allowed him to refuse his life-saving medication.
“How could they have done this? How in the world could they have not taken care of someone with those medical needs?” said Cheryl Doenges, Jacob’s grandmother.
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The deposition also revealed that there is no written DCS policy, procedure, rule, law, directive, or memo stating that children can refuse necessary medical care.
Pastor said the sworn testimony makes clear that DCS knew insulin was life or death for children with Type 1 diabetes.
“What we’ve discovered is that both of these boys had a recognized disability. They were entitled to receive the medication they needed to stay alive,” Pastor said.
This would not be the first time DCS has faced federal scrutiny. In 2024, the DOJ’s Civil Rights Division found DCS discriminated against parents and children with hearing disabilities and forced the agency to make changes.
“How many more disabled children are they ignoring? Are they not accommodating? Or how many other parents are they discriminating against because that parent has a disability?” Pastor said.
The DOJ would not comment on the call for a federal investigation.
A spokesperson for DCS also would not comment on the letter or its contents, as there is pending litigation with the two families.
However, DCS did say that since 2024 it has made changes, including new training for kids with complex medical issues, a diabetes field guide, and care kits as well.
Statement from DCS:
Since 2024, we have implemented changes to better support children with diabetes and the caregivers responsible for their well-being.
We recognize that caring for a child with diabetes can feel overwhelming, so we partnered with Creighton University to create a free training course to provide caregivers with the knowledge and tools needed to support a child’s diabetes care. The course is designed for anyone who cares for or works with children who have diabetes, including parents, foster and kinship caregivers, teachers and school staff, social workers, and childcare providers. Group home employees who work with children who have complex medical needs are required to take the training.
The course helps caregivers understand the differences between Type-1 and Type-2 diabetes; recognize warning signs of high or low blood sugar; know what questions to ask when a child with diabetes is placed in their care; how to collaborate effectively with medical providers and schools; and where to access important tools and resources.
In addition, we have created a field guide on diabetes in collaboration with medical experts from local hospitals. The field guide provides information on proper diabetes management; how to monitor and administer medication; and what DCS Specialists should look for on cases that involve a child with diabetes.
We also ensure that diabetes care kits are available at our welcome center so children entering care or experiencing placement disruption have their immediate medical and daily care needs addressed promptly and appropriately.
This story was written and reported by a journalist and revised with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
Arizona
NAU launches first-of-its-kind engineering degree to fast-track Arizona’s future workforce – The NAU Review
As Arizona’s semiconductor and advanced manufacturing industries continue to grow at a rapid pace, Northern Arizona University’s Steve Sanghi College of Engineering is launching a new degree program designed to help meet the state’s workforce needs.
Beginning this fall, NAU will offer a Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology, a flexible, workforce-focused degree pathway that prepares students for careers in microelectronics, semiconductors and advanced manufacturing in as little as three years. The 90-credit bachelor’s degree creates a more accessible pathway into engineering careers through a hands-on, applied curriculum and a streamlined transfer model with Arizona community colleges.
The program follows a 45-45 completion structure, allowing students to complete 45 credits at a community college and 45 credits through NAU. Courses will be delivered through synchronous remote instruction at NAU’s North Valley campus in Phoenix and at Pima Community College in Tucson, increasing access for statewide students.
Addressing Arizona’s growing semiconductor workforce
Designed with workforce readiness in mind, the program emphasizes practical engineering application, systems implementation, testing, quality control, systems analysis, manufacturing, fabrication, process control and project management. Students will gain technical and problem-solving skills aligned with the needs of Arizona’s rapidly evolving manufacturing economy.
“This new bachelor’s degree empowers students to identify real-world engineering challenges and develop practical solutions,” said James Palmer, associate dean for academic affairs at the Steve Sanghi College of Engineering. “We are creating a more accessible pathway into engineering careers while preparing graduates to support Arizona’s growing microelectronics and semiconductor industry.”
Arizona has emerged as one of the nation’s fastest-growing semiconductor hubs, with more than $200 billion in semiconductor-related investments announced in the Greater Phoenix region since 2020, including expansions from Intel, TSMC and Amkor Technology. TSMC alone has committed up to $165 billion toward Arizona operations, including multiple fabrication plants and advanced packaging facilities expected to create thousands of technical and manufacturing jobs.
Industry demand continues to grow for professionals with applied engineering and advanced manufacturing skills in areas such as process engineering, manufacturing systems, equipment operations and yield enhancement. NAU’s new degree program was developed to help students quickly enter these high-demand career fields while supporting Arizona’s long-term economic growth and domestic semiconductor manufacturing capacity.
The program also aligns with NAU’s strategic commitment to expanding access to affordable, student-centered educational opportunities that prepare graduates for meaningful careers and long-term success.
Students interested in learning more about the Bachelor of Professional Studies in Engineering Technology program should contact SCE@nau.edu.
PHOENIX (AP) — The two Republican congressmen running for Arizona governor pitched themselves at a debate Wednesday as the only candidate with broad enough voter appeal to unseat Democratic Gov. Katie Hobbs amid the state’s affordability struggles.
U.S. Rep. Andy Biggs, who is the GOP primary’s frontrunner and has the endorsement of President Donald Trump, portrayed himself as being able to cross party lines and having the right experience to be the state’s chief executive.
“There’s not a doubt in my mind, if you look at the polling data that you’re going to find, I am the most competitive with Katie Hobbs of anybody on this stage in any Republican in the state,” Biggs said.
U.S. Rep. David Schweikert, who has survived three tough Democratic challenges in recent years, believes his focus on government finances and his drive to bring new business to the state make him the singular Republican candidate.
“These are wonderful people, but they’ve never actually been in the great battle,” Schweikert said of Biggs and two other Republican opponents.
Businessman Scott Neely, who ran an unsuccessful gubernatorial campaign in 2022, said after the debate that if Biggs wins the primary, Republicans will lose the election.
The winner of the July 21 primary will face Hobbs, who’s running unopposed in the primary.
Biggs has served five terms in the U.S. House, representing a heavily GOP district in the eastern Phoenix suburbs and serving at one time as chairman of the ultra-right U.S. House Freedom Caucus.
Before that, Biggs served in the Arizona Legislature from 2003 through 2016, including four years as president of the state Senate. He battled with then-Republican Gov. Jan Brewer on a Medicaid expansion in 2013 and pushed school choice measures and bills targeting abortion providers.
Biggs is one of Trump’s top defenders in Congress and supported Trump’s false claims the 2020 presidential election was stolen from him.
Schweikert, a budget hawk known for railing against government debt, has represented an affluent district that includes parts of northeast Phoenix and Scottsdale for eight terms. He served in the Arizona House in the 1990s and as Maricopa County’s treasurer in the 2000s.
Schweikert has focused his congressional career on sounding the alarm about the federal budget deficit and the ballooning U.S. debt, often in late-night speeches to a nearly empty House chamber and bleary-eyed C-SPAN viewers. Schweikert has praised Trump’s 2017 tax cuts but has called for more spending cuts to reduce federal borrowing.
His reputation was tarnished by ethics scandals. In 2022, he received a $125,000 fine by the Federal Election Commission for misappropriating campaign funds. Two years prior, he agreed to pay a $50,000 fine and accept 11 campaign finance violations after an investigation by the U.S. House Committee on Ethics. In his last three general campaigns for Congress, Schweikert staved off challenges from Democrats. Biggs voiced support for Arizona’s recent passage of a three-year moratorium on tax incentives for new data centers – a move Hobbs also has touted. “They shouldn’t be given a break,” Biggs said, noting the large amounts of power and water that data centers use.
Schweikert bemoaned Arizona’s unfavorable affordability rankings as “pretty miserable,” but said consumer prices don’t come down magically. He vowed to aggressively recruit businesses to Arizona and push for wage growth.
Both congressmen were asked about the expired healthcare subsidies for those getting coverage under the Affordable Care Act.
“We’re going to have to deal with the reality of subsidization of everything in the economy is not going to work,” Schweikert said.
Biggs said he introduced legislation in Congress to bring down healthcare costs and also voiced support for Trump’s proposal to send money directly to Americans for health savings accounts so they can handle insurance and health costs as they see fit.
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