Front of mind

Caring for children must never be routine, rote

It took a three-hour hearing in district court to officially reach the conclusion most others had come to months ago: The driver who left a 3-year-old girl on a preschool center’s van for more than six hours was guilty of endangering the welfare of a minor.

District Judge Clinton “Casey” Jones sentenced Connie Ramey, 56, of West Fork to 50 days in jail, all suspended, with a $750 fine. It’s a sentence that mercifully recognizes the circumstances that didn’t turn tragic, but easily could have.

“She had no purpose to do any harm,” Jones said from the bench. “I’m convinced of that beyond a reasonable doubt.”

It was back on Sept. 9 when Ramey made pickups for children attending the preschool called Growing God’s Kingdom in West Fork. If that school’s name rings a bell, it’s because it was part of one of the biggest stories statewide in 2015. The state-subsidized preschool’s owners are Republican state Rep. Justin Harris and his wife. They earned national attention last year after revelations they adopted two girls with emotional challenges, then “rehomed” them to another couple. One of the girls was sexually assaulted by the father in the new family, and he’s serving time in prison.

The preschool has also been controversial because of its clear religious bent even as it relies on public tax dollars designed to make preschool education available to lower-income residents.

But back to Sept. 9. Ramey picked the girl up about 7:15 a.m. and unloaded other children at the school about 45 minutes later. She then made a second run and delivered those children at the school around 9 a.m. She parked the van in the shade and did paperwork. She then went home for a couple of hours and returned to the school about 1 p.m. It was sometime after that she realized the girl had never been removed from the van.

Thankfully, the shade tree Ramey parked under apparently provided enough relief from the heat — it was 81 degrees that day outside the van — and the youngster emerged with no health issues.

So why sentence her at all? Because when one takes a job or any role of responsibility for little children, along with that comes the burden not just of good intentions, but of reasonable behaviors to protect them from injury. Ramey failed in performing those tasks.

The incident very well could have turned tragic. So many times every summer, news pops up across the nation about moms, dads, grandparents and others who simply forgot a child in a back seat on a hot day. A lot of them end tragically. It is, perhaps, miraculous this one didn’t.

If anything good can come of this sad tale, perhaps it’s as a reminder to everyone with small children or those who have jobs involving care for them. They rely on all of us, and the temptation to make caring for them a routine task must be resisted.

Sounds simple. Sounds like something that can go without saying. But it’s worth saying, because those trusting little eyes should never close for a final time inside a vehicle because some adult messed up.