Thank you IAMHL for inviting me to present next year in Lyon France (iamhl.org) on a timely international topic.
COVID -19 creates an unprecedented mixture of global legal, medical ethical, and school chaos for family courts and child custody evaluators. US Judges with help from GALs (Guardian Ad Litems) make ill- considered decisions of where and how parents educate their children based on rate of virus spreading in specific locations and any available alternative virtual learning platforms. Decisions not necessarily based on science.
Family values and community engagement are considered and redesigned by pediatricians and medical researchers acting as experts in the field of pandemic disease, at a cost to student academic, social and emotional development.
A recent case study written by this presenter and appearing in the American College of Forensic Psychology Journal (Vol 38, Issue 3, 2020) is evidentially offered to demonstrate the fight between the legal, medical, and education communities. Advocacy in utilizing experts with more sound training and familiar with both education matters and dealings within Family Court proceedings is highlighted and discussed with attendees.
[The presenter is former Chair of State of California Board of Behavioral Sciences and an internationally licensed forensic clinical and educational psychologist who regularly provides opinion in family court proceedings.]