Sen. Janet Petersen Statement on State Settlement in Sabrina Ray Case

Des Moines — Iowa state Sen. Janet Petersen released the following statement regarding the state’s settlement with the surviving children of the Sabrina Ray foster care abuse case

“My heart goes out to the surviving children and to those who tried to protect them by sounding the alarms,” Sen. Janet Petersen, D-Des Moines, said. “I hope the settlement announced today provides some of the support they need to find a bit of peace and hope.”

“The settlement calls for the creation of a task force,” Petersen said. “I am hopeful Governor Reynolds gives its members full fact-finding access, the authority to shed light on the dangers with Iowa’s current child protective system, and the power to fix it. 

“Keeping Iowa’s children safe should be our No. 1 priority,” Petersen said. “We don’t need another example of the fox guarding the hen house. Our kids need Iowans and the media to stay engaged in this process to help this task force succeed in its mission of making Iowa a safer place for our children.”

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