Toddlers Left Alone @ CBR - Guardians at Pool!!

[Ed]

An obvious (and scary) case of BRAINS being on vacation! :mad:

Police: 2 Kids Left Alone At Disney Resort
Police: Guardians Left Children To Go Swimming

POSTED: Friday, July 17, 2009
UPDATED: 10:50 pm EDT July 17, 2009

ORANGE COUNTY, Fla. -- The Orange County Sheriff's Office said two children were left alone in a hotel room at the Caribbean Beach Club Resort for several hours on Friday while their guardians went to one of the resort's swimming pools.

Police said the children, ages 2 and 4, could have hurt themselves, walked away from the room, or have fallen from the second-floor balcony area. The bath tub, toilet and other items that could be harmful to children were not blocked off or hidden. Officials also said that there was no food or water available to the children. Police said that the children could have opened the door to the hotel room and wandered the grounds of the resort.

The guardians, Kimberly and Stephen Simmons, told officials that they have left the children unattended before, police said.

The children have since been placed in the custody of the Florida Department of Children and Families.

The children were found alone when housekeeping employees opened room number 1259 at about 2:20 p.m. to clean the room, police said. Upon entering, police said the housekeepers found a 2-year-old girl wearing only a diaper and a 4-year-old boy wearing only underpants alone in the second-floor room.

According to the police report, an employee waited for about 5 minutes for an adult to return to the room, and when no one did she called her supervisor to report the incident.

Security officials from Walt Disney World contact the OCSO to report that the two children were alone with no adults in the area. Disney security also searched the resort to find the people who had rented the room.

According to police, the guests were located at one of the resort's swimming pools at about 4:15 p.m. and were asked to return to the room.

Kimberly Simmons, who told police she was a counselor at a school in Michigan, told police that she was aware the children were alone in the room. According to a report, she had stated that she put them down for a nap and then went to the swimming pool for a few hours.

Police said Simmons' husband, Stephen, also said he was OK with leaving the children unattended.

According to police, both of the children were foster children and had been in the Simmons' care for the past 23 months.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Housekeeping finds them @ 2:20 pm; "guardians" not found until 4:15 pm. What is wrong with these people ????? :mad:

The kids "had been in their care for the past 23 months???" And she's a school counselor???? :mad:

I don't get angry very easily, but I'd sure like to give these two cretins a strong dose of "street justice".

[ASweetLov]

Those poor little ones should be put in a better foster home. And the lady should stay without a job!!!!!! I could never leave a toodler or any age child alone while they are in my care. You just never know what might happen.

[Georgesgirl1]

All I can say is that I hope these kids get placed in a home where they will be cared for and I hope this lady loses her job as a counselor. Any person who thinks leaving toddlers alone in a house or hotel for any length of time doesn't have the judgement needed to help guide students through their formative years! Poor kids!

[gueli]

Those poor little ones should be put in a better foster home. And the lady should stay without a job!!!!!! I could never leave a toodler or any age child alone while they are in my care. You just never know what might happen.

:ditto:

Is this the state of foster care ??? :mad:
OK, now that I have calmed down a little, obviously there are plenty of good foster parents out there - but these 2 need to have that capability removed from them...

I hope these 2 little ones get the care that they need from their next foster parents.

[JPL]

People never cease to amaze me with their stupidity :shake:

[KAJUNKING]

this is a terrible story, they should be thrown in jail for reckless endangerment

[jillluvsdisney]

The level of stupidity some people have really amazes me.

[pixiesmimi]

I have young grandchildren and know what they can do at this age and can get into (or out of). This just floors me. Just because they may be asleep when you walk out doesn't mean they will stay that way. 30 minutes is too long but 2 hours? That is deplorable! They were probably used to being left alone because I'm sure this couple did this all the time or they wouldn't have been so nonchalant about it.

[Ed]

Check out their mug shots (http://www.clickorlando.com/news/20095368/detail.html); I suspect their time at the pool also included a few :beer: and/or :marg:

Which makes it even worse. :mad:

[SheLovesDisney]

What an absolutely terrible story...so disheartening. Those poor children - one can only hope that they will find a loving home with a family that deserves the privilege of caring for them.

[GBBT]

Do the foster parents receive money from the state they live in to help take care of the kids?If yes,this is a clear case of these people doing it just to get the money.:mad:

[nicster]

There are so many options to getting some time away from children, that there is NO excuse for this neglect! Don't the resorts offer babysitting services?? I think they do:confused: or get some room service & drink/eat/whatever on the balcony-nearby & checking regularly on the littleuns. I am so glad they got caught!

[Ian]

Digusting. Absolutely disgraceful. These parents should be thrown in jail. And not just for a couple days ... for a long, long, long time.

Until we, as a society, get SERIOUS about protecting our children from inept, moronic, self-centered idiots like this we're going to continue to read stories like this.

Toss these slimebags in jail for 5-10 years and all of a sudden people will sit up and take notice.

[DisneyAggies]

Wow...just wow...

In a week I'll have a 2 year old and a 4 year old. There's NO WAY I'd leave them for a split second alone in a hotel room. They'd level the place in no time flat!! :stitch2:Well, that and they're TWO and FOUR years old!! Really?? Wow.

Just unbelievable!!

A little OT, but in the same vein...isn't this how little Madeleine Mc Cann went missing in Portugal? Her parents left her in the room and then went to dinner?

Is this really something that people normally do? (just wondering...)

[nicster]

If the child/children were sound asleep, I could see slipping out for a moment to get ice from the machine or something. After all, at home we close the door to their room while they are napping and tend to other things in the house. But, when I say a moment I mean less than 3 minutes. This isn't home and nowhere is completely safe... even WDW resorts.

[joanna71985]

Wow...just, wow. Are those people insane?! You NEVER leave 2 toddlers alone. They can get into trouble just like *that*! And they had left them alone for almost 2 hours!! I hope they take those 2 little ones away from them. :mad:

[crazypoohbear]

okay, now my head has exploded.
After the first 10 swears escaped my mouth and I have talked myself out of driving to Fl or Michigan to beat the living daylights out of these "humans"
I have a few thoughts/Questions.
1 has her employer been notified.
2. has the local Michigan pd been notified.
3. I hope to God it made the paper in her home town!
4. With all the "other" stuff going on at TL with pervs, I hope the police in Orlando really questioned the kids as much as possible
5. can they be fixed so the can't have kids of their own!
6. I would love to have the toddlers sent to my home, my kids are 15 and 20 now and have kinda outgrown the cuteness ;)
7. I really really really want to make sure that both these creeps get theirs. I totally want to call the local news in their home town!!!!

[Briansmom]

This story just makes me incredibly sad.....those poor children. No telling how many other times they have been left alone. So glad they were discovered unharmed and I hope they are going to be taken away from these unfit parents. Scary to think that she 'counsels' other children for a living....

[Mousemates]

A little OT, but in the same vein...isn't this how little Madeleine Mc Cann went missing in Portugal? Her parents left her in the room and then went to dinner?

Is this really something that people normally do? (just wondering...)

people might, but REAL parents (be they foster or hereditary) won't.

[seanyred]

Incredulous....but not shocked...being a child/adolescent therapist myself it never surprises me when parents are just plan stupid and should not be raising children. Hopefully, the kids will find a better home...

[Bill George]

Let's see, You need to get a license to own a dog...You need a license to get married. But...Anyone can have a kid. I think there should be a licensing process that includes keeping a house plant alive for one year prior to having children. If you can't keep a house plant alive, you keep a child. It's that simple. ;)

[crazypoohbear]

Well, I can't even keep fake houseplants looking good so I guess my kids are safe!!
When I did try to have plants around the house my sister would come by and comment on them needing water and my response was always
"Look, I remember to feed and water my kids, so I'm ahead of the game" :D

[BluewaterBrad]

How can people be so stupid??!!??:thedolls:

[TheVBs]

:mad: Unbelievable! I am so glad they got caught.

[LibertyTreeGal]

This is exactly what happened in Portugal! You would think the entire world would know better after that!

And especially with all the molester arrests at WDW over the last couple of weeks!

When I think of what Mark and I had to go through to become parents, it amazes me that God doesn't place fertility switches on our backs that can't be turned on until you are ready to raise a child selflessly instead of selfishly! I am putting in a request....

[thrillme]

This just makes absolutely no sense at all. Not only were there TWO of them (they could have taken turns)...most hotels have babysitting services.

[jonahbear2006]

If the child/children were sound asleep, I could see slipping out for a moment to get ice from the machine or something. After all, at home we close the door to their room while they are napping and tend to other things in the house. But, when I say a moment I mean less than 3 minutes. This isn't home and nowhere is completely safe... even WDW resorts.

I agree. and I have a very responsible 9 yr old. their grandparents live next door and i have run next door before for something but NEVER left them for more than a few minutes and its always extremely nervous and heart-pounding few minutes for ME! How could you relax wondering what could be happening to your kids?

[Sally_The_Ragdoll]

How could someone just leave their two VERY YOUNG children alone for several HOURS? How do people like that even become Foster parents? That is completely and utterly screwed up. Those people should never be able to take care of any more foster children. :mad: That's just ridiculous!

[crazypoohbear]

I agree. and I have a very responsible 9 yr old. their grandparents live next door and i have run next door before for something but NEVER left them for more than a few minutes and its always extremely nervous and heart-pounding few minutes for ME! How could you relax wondering what could be happening to your kids?

I can tell you why what you do and feel is different than what those two do and feel...
YOU have a heart and it is filled with love for your children.
YOU put your children first, ABOVE yourself..
I bet when you sit down at the dinner table the first thing you do is cut up your childs food, test it to see if it too hot, feed the child then you eat your dinner, usually cold/lukewarm and you still love your child!
Those two took in the foster kids to pay for a trip to disney and HAD to take the kids but they were not going to let the kids ruin THEIR good times. And, judging by the mug shots they were having a rip roarin good time at the pool bar.
Any good parent will panic whenever they have to leave a child alone for longer than a moment.

[BPATSMouse]

There is nothing that makes me madder than putting a child in danger.:mad: Especially when this type of stupidity is involved. I hope these two are buried under the courthouse.:thedolls: I pray that the authoritys place these two babies in a safe place.

[d_m_n_n]

I think this shows the level of selfishness many people feel. It makes me sad that their afternoon swim and :beer: is more important than the well-being of their children. :(

[FriendsofMickey]

How horrible! These little ones deserve so much more love and care. I really hope they find it. It just makes me sad that there are so many people that would love to hold and care for a child and do not get the opportunity, and then you have scum like this being handed children. And then think, this lady actual was put in charge of the 'social' well being of a lot of children at school. Sick!
I fear they will get a small smack on the hand and not what they really deserve!

In my opinion, 1 minute out of the room leaving your child is to long when you are on vacation. Being at home and running to the mailbox or outside for a minute is totally different than when you are on vacation. Remember it only takes a minute for them to vanish. NOTHING is more important than the safety of your children. My girls are 6 1/2 and I would not leave them in a room for anything.

[DisneyOtaku]

What in the world were these "parents" thinking?!?! Oh, that's right...they weren't!

2 and 4 years old! There's really no way to justify this.

[BMan62]

See that these are/were FOSTER parents, they are probably in it for the money.

Yes, this was a horrible occurrence, but since the woman was a Counsellor, they probably were rushed right through the fostering process. Just goes to show you how little actual checking these agencies do.

[nicster]

See that these are/were FOSTER parents, they are probably in it for the money.

Yes, this was a horrible occurrence, but since the woman was a Counsellor, they probably were rushed right through the fostering process. Just goes to show you how little actual checking these agencies do.
My thoughts exactly. You would think that with a charge like child endangerment, or neglect, she would loose her job. I hope so.

[Disney Doll]

Okay former foster parent here.

Yes, foster parents do get some income to assist with child expenses, but it's not much. I really can't imagine someone making money off foster parenting unless they had a lot of kids or just weren't providing for the kids they had. I know it does happen, but I can't believe that it's super common.

We can all say that there are lots of people who would love to care for toddlers, but the fact is that there are very few people signing on to be foster parents. The state does a background check and a basic family study before placing a child, but they can't be too picky when the need for parents is so great. I'm not trying to pat myself on the back because I fully admit that there is no way I would foster except that in our case the kids were relatives. (I know :mad:).

Also, laws probably vary from state to state, but in my state a foster parent cannot take a child across state lines. Technically foster children are in temporary state custody and until a permanent custody decision has been made the kids cannot leave the state.

[nicster]

Also, laws probably vary from state to state, but in my state a foster parent cannot take a child across state lines. Technically foster children are in temporary state custody and until a permanent custody decision has been made the kids cannot leave the state.
That puts a whole new twist on things...

[d_m_n_n]

Yes, this was a horrible occurrence, but since the woman was a Counsellor, they probably were rushed right through the fostering process. Just goes to show you how little actual checking these agencies do.

I have to agree with this. I've seen a school counselor get rushed through for CASA and she admitted she had absolutely no clue what she was doing. :mad: In the end, she ended up hurting the child more than helping. :(

[brownie]

So much for it being a family vacation for these two kids. I hope they find a better placement for them.

You cannot leave a 2 and 4 year old without responsible supervision.

[gueli]

Okay former foster parent here.
Yes, foster parents do get some income to assist with child expenses, but it's not much...
..Also, laws probably vary from state to state, but in my state a foster parent cannot take a child across state lines..

Thank you, I hope you don't mind me usuing your words to make a point.

Foster Parents have their good & bad apples. Some are smart, some not so- but most of them do not go into it for da money.
So remember, some very nice, intelligent, caring people become foster parents (for any number of reasons). Lets make sure not to bash Foster Parents . These 2 on the other hand:thedolls:
So it is possible that they have violated their own state laws. Good, Good.
Someone earlier said something about a slap on the wrist- this is florida, and child endangerment is not something they take kindly to- so lets hope if/when convicted that these 2 get what they deserve :thedolls:

As to her loosing her job, it might not be possible (unless she misses to much time due to court appearances,etc). Remember I don't think a school can leagally remove her from her post, at least untill convicted. In the same breath, I would not want her counseling my kids- so if I lived in that district, I would make sure the principal and superintendant know this, and I would make all the other parents aware...

I think it would be appropriate if convicted for a sentance of these childrens ages (ie 2-4 or 6) for these 2 ...

[crazypoohbear]

As to her loosing her job, it might not be possible (unless she misses to much time due to court appearances,etc). Remember I don't think a school can leagally remove her from her post, at least untill convicted. In the same breath, I would not want her counseling my kids- so if I lived in that district, I would make sure the principal and superintendant know this, and I would make all the other parents aware...

I think it would be appropriate if convicted for a sentance of these childrens ages (ie 2-4 or 6) for these 2 ...
She could hopefully lose her job if there is a morals clause or something like that in her contact.
I pray that she is kept far far away from any child

[Patricia]

I'm so glad someone was able to intervene before these kids were (again) left at home alone. Having operated a daycare for 21 years, I shutter to think of what a toddler can do in a few minutes.. choking being my biggest concern.

Seriously, these people were expected to keep those children in their site at all times. Toddlers can't take care of themselves in emergencies.. and we all know those happen.

For instance, this past Saturday, here in West Kelowna, people were out shopping when they found out they couldn't return home due to a forest fire that swept into their neighborhood. Thousands of people were evacuated. How would those children have been evacuated if home alone?

I'm not sure how to fix foster care, and I know very good foster parents who dedicate their lives to kids, but knowing people like this can slip through the system scares me. :mad:

[Young@Heart]

this is such a sad, sad story. :( I feel so badly for those little ones. Thankfully they didn't get hurt, so many horrible things could have happened in such a short time. I am, however, happy these parents were 'caught'. Hopefully, these children will now be placed with better foster parents who love them and actually care for them responsibly.

[Lizzy]

This is very sad indeed. These children were not only neglected, but then are now uprooted from their home once again.

It says that they were found about 2 hours after the children were discovered. They also mentioned that the kids were napping when they decided to go to the pool The kids coul have been alone for 4 hours! Did they really expect the 4 year old to nap that long?

I'm not going to say anything about what the kids were wearing, because the diaper only outfit is a constant at my hous ( :blush: )

Kids that age can get into so many dangers. Take just yesterday with my 19 month old. I brought the baby in the house, ran back out to the car and right back in again and he had already knocked down the bird cage and was standing on the dining room table! In a matter of maybe a minute in a half he could have seriously hurt himself twice! I can't imagine having two close to the same age, running around a hotel room unsupervised!

We become parents, whether naturally, adoptive, or fostering, and our lives change. Sacrifices must be made to ensure the safety and well being of the child that we are blessed with. If you must forgo a dip in the pool while the kids nap, then skip the pool. Or better yet, wait the hour until the kids wake up and take them swimming too! That's why you take family vacations! :mad:

[I LoveJack]

I read from one of the papers that they had their six year old nephew with them too. Would you leave your child with a relative who normally just left their own whenever they wanted? Did the state take the nephew back too or just left him since he was with them at the pool when they were finally found?

[Jeff G]

This is so sad, these poor kids deserve so much better from their foster parents. The only good to come from this is the kids will find new parents who will hopefully take better care of them and be responsible.

[Goofster]

For those wondering, this did hit the newspapers up here in Michigan. The couple live in Grand Blanc Township, which is a mildly affluent suburb of Flint and about 70 minutes north of Detroit.

Here's the link to the article...needless to say, Grand Blanc is a small community, so the news will spread quickly.

http://www.mlive.com/news/flint/index.ssf/2009/07/police_say_holy_area_couple_went_swimming_abandone d_foster_children_at_disney_resort.html

also in the Detroit Free Press

http://www.freep.com/article/20090721/NEWS06/90721063/1008/NEWS/Holly-couple-arrested-for-child-neglect-in-Florida

and it was also on the Detroit Local TV News.

It has been reported that the two kids are back in Child Protective Services here in Michigan and will be placed in a different home.

[I LoveJack]

Well that's good news. Hopefully they will still keep them together.

[PAYROLL PRINCESS]

How come these 2 look so angry in their mug shots? It's not like they did anything wrong! I'm glad the kids were found and that they were ok. Hopefully they'll be placed with someone who'll treat them like they are special!

[gueli]

How come these 2 look so angry in their mug shots? It's not like they did anything wrong!

:funny:
oh I love the sarcasim.
here is hoping that those kids get a real disney trip...:pixie:

[PharmD]

This is just plain stupidity. These people should punished to the full extent of the law. On a side note I have been trying for the last 2 yrs to get a job as a teacher and idiots like this lady has a job. I am a career changer and have decided that teaching is where I feel I can make a difference. And then we wonder why our education system has so many problems.

[kemps@wdw]

OMG!!! Makes me think of little Mattie...you know, the little girl left in her hotel room while her parents were out dining...we all know how that turned out! :( How fortunate the tots were found by CMs before they wandered out of the room! And the adults...obviously NOT in the foster care program for love of children! :shake:And a counselor? What employer missed THAT background check? :oops: