I think there should be a law that social workers or direct staff, people working with mentally challenged people, should only work in their positions for five years. People get tired,and the system can totally change your personality. I also think that human service workers should leave there job at work. That social worker was probably already menatally exhausted before she took in these two children. In the future human service workers should be monitored more closely especially if they've been working in this field for a number of years.

Dawn Hertzberg
pittsfield, ma

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am a therapuetic foster parent in Maine and our family has cared for over 70 children in the last 17 years. The Logan Marr incident has left all of us vulnerable, sad and quite possibly a bit wiser.

As foster parents, we live our lives in a "fish bowl" so to speak. We open our homes to children who have been neglected and abused. We are scrutinized by DHS, the fire marshal's office, and anyone else deemed necessary to assure that we are appropriate to become foster parents. Proper training for foster parents is mandatory. We do all of this willingly and ask for little in return. I am here to say that the process, when done correctly, works well. I think some heads were turned and favors were granted to expedite the placement of Logan and Bailey with the Schofields due to her history with DHS.

Elaine Webb
manchester, maine

Dear FRONTLINE,

One huge problem with the DHS system is their failure to recognize, understand and respond to the issues surrounding the separations between parent and child. The mental health system has tried to raise these issues with DHS to no avail. DHS has no understanding about the psychological effects involved. Your program clearly shows how Logan and her mother Christy were harmed by the system. Christy was forced to sever the relatoinship with her own mother and Logan was forced to leave Christy. I believe children need to be protected in many cases. But with Logan, I feel DHS made a huge mistake. Sally S. was worse than many parents in the system. I did not feel she accepted any responsibility for killing Logan. Sally continually talked about Logan's behavior as being the problem instead of looking at her own inability to handle the situation. Children, especially at Logan's age, are deeply harmed emotionally when they are removed from their parents. My heart breaks with the thought of what Logan must have went through. Sally says Logan was out of control, Sally was the adult and she was definately out of control herself.

Brielle Daniels
lewiston, maine

Dear FRONTLINE,

Have lived in Maine for twenty plus years. It is my opinion that we are an educated/informed family. We were and still live with the shocking consequences of a tragic encounter with DHS in this State and their dismissal of our alarm/reporting of abuse of an infant. Am also of the opinion that such circumstances, to which you gave air, are not particular nor peculiar to Maine alone. That is the HORROR. That being said, feel strongly there are many dedicated workers who work to their utmost despite "the system." (No, am not a social worker.)

Thank you for bringing this program and the focus upon childrens' and their families lives as well as the vulnerabilities of all parties.

wells, me

Dear FRONTLINE,

I was shocked and disgusted with the lack of professionalism shown by DHS in Maine; from the comments made by the case worker on the e-mail to Mrs. Scofield to not following up on the complaints Logan Marr made to her birth mother during the visits allowed.

I work for law enforcment and I was appalled that no charges were ever brought on the case worker. I realize how heavy the caseloads are and how they have to make tough calls but they are dealing with the lives of innocent children. I hope that these so called hearings and investigations yield results and that the state of Maine take action to put into practice some kind of regulations to help families so that something like this will not happen again.

As for FRONTLINE being allowed into the DHS offices you must know the would have been on their P's and Q's to make sure the "public" would not find anything amiss. If that would have been my child I promise you I would have tried to have EVERYONE involved in that case prosecuted NO ONE is above the law. You would have thoght that after all the horror stories in the news that there have been about children mistreated in foster and in their birth parents homes we would have learned by now. Just how many lessons do we need?

ringgold, ga

Dear FRONTLINE,

I think the child protection laws need to be seriously studied and revised, not just on a state or national level, but each country needs to do it, to make it international.

I am in the legal field and have personal first hand knowledge of how well cared for children are being separated from parents who are trying hard to raise these babies, and because of one judgmental caseworker's personal opinion, families are destroyed and left devastated.

I also have personal firsthand knowledge of babies who are left with parents who are not doing well, either for themselves or for their babies. Children taken from a loving home lose their trust and innocence through the system overnight. Children left in unsuitable homes lose their trust and innocence through the system also overnight.

Parents need to be strong, and fight the demi-gods that have only book learning and a degree, giving them so called authority on what is best for a total stranger, child or adult. The system is broken, but yet continues to bind parents in unacceptable chains. We need to break the chains, but fix the system.

london, ont. canada

Dear FRONTLINE,

I just finished watching your documentary on Logan Marr, and could not remove myself from the television. I am studying law and I this program has sparked my interest into a new branch of law. There are inherent flaws in the system that must be evaluated and given the scope and visibility by programs such as yours. Keep up the great work.

london, canada

Dear FRONTLINE,

As a nation, we do not value the mental health of people, particularly children and families. There is somehow this insane and unrealistic idea that families are supposed to go at it alone, with no supports or help from anyone. ...

As a mental health therapist, many if not most of the people I see with family problems come to my office too late for me to be effective much of the time.They need to be seeing me before, not after the crisis, when I can be most effective.Otherwise, Im just doing damage control and not working on permanent solutions to social problems.

When you consider that a garbage collector earns more money than a licensed therapist with two masters degrees (myself), it really shows where the sad priorities are in this country. When people begin to act proactively instead of reactively to social problems like domestic violence, child abuse, substance abuse, teen pregnancy, and unemployment, it is then that we will see a real change in how the state welfare system is managed.

When the health of children and adults in this country becomes a priority and people don't whine about taxes being spent for the common good of families, it is then that we will begin to see true and lasting progressive change in this country. Until then, expect to see more children like the unfortunate child on Frontline slipping thru the cracks of the beaurocracy and ending up dead.

Stephanie Simpson, LICSW
cape cod, ma

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am a mother and have never been as repulsed by anything else I've ever seen on TV as I was by the show on Logan Marr. The lack of understanding, reality of today's world, and the blatant manipulation of the system by a child protection agency is something I never imagined existed in the child protetion field. ...

While most every system tends to become automated and removed from the main stream, children are definitely an exception and any business (and it all becomes a business) related to children should have and adhere to scrutiny that is above and beyond the normal sphere of commerce. I have never in my life responded to a television show of any kind. However, tonight I was absolutely disgusted with a system (one that I know I represent as an American) and I am determined to do something about it. ...

burlington, vermont

Dear FRONTLINE,

This case is a disgrace to the entire DHS and Social Serices system. No one seemed to take responsibility for this child, except the Mother, but too late. At lest She had somewhat of an excuse, being so young and inexperienced; needing love. Isn't that where the "experts" are supposed to step in? The worst Creature in this horrid scenario has to be Sally. She is an emotional dwarf, completely stupid for all her alleged experience with children (including troubled?), and an obvious abuser when overwhelmed. At lest this little angel is finally in a loving existence, unlike what was provided for her in the state of Maine, planet Earth.

Heidi Peltzer
wichita, kansas

Dear FRONTLINE,

I am nearly 60 years old. When we were young I and my siblings were all removed from the home by social service agencies, in one fashion or another. I have many ideas about the methods of those agencies, but the one thing that really sticks with me after all those years, and that has in many ways ruled and ruined my life was that although we were removed from the home, WE were treated as though it was our fault in some way.

I cannot stress how bad that makes a child feel, and I can clearly show you that of six of us removed from the home, not a sinlge one of us has had a life that can be described as anything but dysfunctional! The whole system sucks. None of the social workers know how much they are hurting the kids. None of them really give a rat's ass about the kids. Somehow the system must change. You cannot imagine how depressing it is to see a story like the one about this poor little girl and realize that in the last 50 years nothing has got any better!! And I do not foresee any improvement in future years. Our country is always going on about how important children are and moaning and groaning about how kids are treated in other countries. It is so much worse the way kids are treated here, where we profess to love them. If this is love, I don't need it!

laurel, md

Dear FRONTLINE,

Upon watching the program, i see that the experinance of the foster mother sally did very little in recognizing the signs of Logan missing her mother. The screaming and temper tantrams that she was having was her way of letting people know how she was feeling. I do understand that DHS in all states are overloaded with cases,on the other hand alot of the regulations for this kind of action does need an overhaul. Maine as other states are not really fulfilling the whole program as it should worked. The birth mother must be so angry. My heart goes out to her. Frontline should be commended in the job that they did on this program and in bringing it to the publics attention. Thank you on behalf of Logan and all the other Logans out there in the so called system.

ellen davis
sand springs, oklahoma

Dear FRONTLINE,

It seems there are far too many cases like this. I don't understand how it is that no one is held accountable. If a "case worker" see fit to remove a child from a home, should not that individual "case worker" be responsible for that same child. This appears to be a situation where there are overworked undertrained, unsupervised "children" attempting to protect actual children.

I strongly believe, a case worker who has a child who is "lost" in the system; be it a case of misplacement or God forbid the death of that child. That case worker should be criminally charged. These people are making decisions which may determine if a child lives or dies. But they seem to be able to walk away. Why are they not arrested and charged with neglect, endangerment,or murder? How will the state of Maine ever be able to repair the damage it has done. God help you all when it is your time to be judged!

Lisa Carbone
fall river, ma

Dear FRONTLINE,

I was greatly saddened by the story of Logan. I was separated from my mother for 6 months from 18 mos to age 2, not by an agency, but because of economics; left with grandparents i had not met. my screaming hysterically at the absence of my parents even though i was with loving aunts and grandmother did not quiet the trauma that endured my entire life. i Had many years of therapy to uncover my depression and anxiety before I located where the well of deathwish feelings were coming from. My conclusion for society is that children have the right to be with their parents. society has every obligation to educate young people in ways of being good parents, avoiding separations as well as abuses, and if a parent is not suitable, then parent AND child be together in whatever repair can be done. You cannot rescue or repair a child by breaking the bond with its mother. You might as well say you have to cut off its leg or both arms. it is a horribly painful wound, tho invisible. I was shocked that child workers in this case had no idea why logan was screaming and upset--the basic bond was broken and the child was doing all in her power to communicate her need for her mother. Mother and child are not two people, but a sort of siamese twin joined at the heart, and can be separated only through growth and maturity. Separation before that, destroys the heart of both.

saddle brook, nj

Dear FRONTLINE,

Social service workers embody the values and responsibilities of the community they serve. That this child was abused by her mother and then by a "replacement" mother (where does foster get its name anyway?) goes to a basic lack of fervor on the part of our society to protect our children. I hate to say this, but "fostering" has proven to be every bit as dysfunctional as the birth families whose children are sent to them. As a culture, we need to invest as much or more in our children as we do in "defense," and that includes parents as well. We are all responsible for Logan's death.

Carolyn Evans
lambertville, nj