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One change allows parents of minors to skip a court review and voluntarily check their children into facilities as long as parent and child agree.
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The collaborative project highlighted the stories of children sent into confinement by school officials, often without notifying their parents.
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Florida lawmakers have tried for years to curb youth Baker Acts. This year, with the passage of parental notification measures, they may have finally moved the needle.
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If passed, the bill would require the parents or legal guardians of students institutionalized under the Baker Act to be notified prior to the student’s transportation to a receiving facility.
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When it comes to children, Florida's law regarding involuntary commitments for psychiatric treatment is applied inconsistently.
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To keep children from being committed under the Baker Act, some schools are addressing early childhood trauma and changing their approach to student discipline.
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Data shows children who are committed under the Baker Act often are referred by school officials. School shootings and other incidents have placed more pressure on officials to intervene.
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Each year, about 36,000 children in Florida are involuntarily committed for psychiatric evaluations under the state's Baker Act and disabled kids are becoming increasingly ensnared.
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The number of children who are taken for involuntary psychiatric evaluations in Florida increases every year. This is the first story in a five-part series about how the state's Baker Act affects children.
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In Florida, approximately 36,000 kids are Baker Acted per year.