Editorial: Open child’s records

Monday, Sept. 19, 2005 | 9:01 a.m.

The June 29 death of 2-year-old Adacelli Snyder was the basis for a lawsuit this newspaper filed against Clark County's Family Services Department. Acting on complaints that the baby was not receiving proper care, the department's Child Protective Services division began working with her parents in July 2003 and closed the case in June 2004. After the child was found dead in her home, her parents were charged with second-degree murder and four counts of abuse and neglect.

Our lawsuit sought the records held by CPS regarding the year it spent working with the family. We believe there are important questions surrounding the county's decision to close the case. On Friday District Judge Stewart Bell ruled against our request, saying Nevada law protects the privacy of families in these kinds of cases. The attorney for the county defended the judge's ruling, saying the privacy of three other children in the household is paramount.

Bell said he believes there is an argument for the Sun's position. But he said his interpretation of relevant state laws is that the Legislature intends the release of social-service records to be the exception, not the rule. We believe that because this has become a criminal case, it should be an exception and we will file an appeal with the Nevada Supreme Court. In addition, Assemblywoman Barbara Buckley has announced that she will propose a bill in the next Legislature that would open such records in any case where a child dies, and she will certainly have our support.