The new, interim director at Schuylkill County Children & Youth and the executive director of one of the agency’s contractors say online threats and intimidation against them have risen to a level that’s unacceptable.
At Wednesday’s Schuylkill County Commissioners meeting, Carl Rumbel, who was named Interim Director at Children & Youth in November, following the retirement of embattled former director Lisa Stevens, said his agency plans to do whatever is within its power and possible through its available resources to go after those making the comments.
“Certain internet discussions have grown to a level that are unacceptable,” Rumbel said Wednesday. “I’m not asking anyone assembled here today to stop pursuing their grievances. I totally respect that, personally and professionally. However, I must ask that certain threats and intimidations cease immediately. That sort of behavior is unacceptable and we do intend to pursue all reliefs available to an agency like ours.”
He added that he’s concerned about the safety of the staff at Children & Youth, who are reportedly having personal information shared on social media. He said it’s important to remember that the people intervening in these cases are local residents.
“When there’s a need for intervention, it’s your neighbors. It’s not some suit from Harrisburg. It’s not someone from a field office in Scranton,” he said.
Rumbel noted that his statement and presence at Wednesday’s meeting was prompted by discussions on Facebook that were rallying people to attend the meeting if they had issues with Schuylkill County Children & Youth.
“If you don’t have your kids, look in the mirror.”
Patrice Gangemi, the executive director at Signature Family Services, located in Pottsville, provided more details on what those threats generally include. Her agency is a Children & Youth contractor.
She said. “At some point, it has to end.”
Gangemi told Commissioners that a recent message she received came from someone who wrote, “Well well well, look how easy it was to get your personal number.”
She said the person messaging her threatened her to keep an eye out over her shoulder and that she wouldn’t see whatever they had planned, that she was “going to get it when I least expect it.”
Gangemi then challenged those who were making threats and criticisms of her line of work and actions family services providers have taken on them.
“If you want to come here with remarks, come here with the truth. But nobody does. You sit up here and you point fingers. If you don’t have your kids, look in the mirror,” she said. “I challenge everyone that makes those comments to come in here with a family service plan and then recite what those goals are and tell everybody here what they did to address those goals, what they did to keep their families in their houses.”
Defending Family Services
Both Rumbel and Gangemi defended the responsibilities each sees their job as having.
Rumbel said he’s “happy to discuss any and all topics related to the general operations of our agency” and believes principally in transparency in government.
“I recognize that Children & Youth involvement can be difficult and may be confusing. I’m proud of my record of bringing people together to work on plans that help to keep kids safe and keep kids with their families and in their communities,” he said.
Rumbel said he’s willing to discuss individual cases privately with people who are entitled to have those talks.
Gangemi echoed Rumbel’s remarks, saying her agency’s goal is to keep families together, despite the online criticism.
“They do everything … everything to keep families together. Do you know what that’s like,” she asked.
However, she added that it’s not just on the staff at her agency that bears the responsibility. That falls on the parents first.
“There are a team of people, always, to help put kids back in the home,” she said. “But parents have to do the work and if you don’t do the work, that’s on you. We can’t want your families together more than you do.”
She added that her job is not a regular 9-to-5 position and that Signature Family Services and Children & Youth are doing things to help families that are struggling to stay together.
Gangemi said that Children & Youth, just last week, purchased heating oil for a family in need. They also purchased beds from Walmart for a family without one.
Earlier in Wednesday’s meeting, Commissioners heard from Jason Martin, of Washington Township, who shared some of his struggles and frustrations with Children & Youth and Gangemi’s organization.
In his public comments, he did make some unsubstantiated claims that Children & Youth were responsible for the deaths of children.
He also said, “They’ve taken kids from people who are able to take care of them. They’ve paid off doctors.”
Martin addressed Commissioner Gary Hess directly, indicating he’s been in contact with him numerous times over the last several years.
“They falsified documents. They tried to take both of my children. Where is the justice here,” he asked. “Something needs to change.”
Commissioners Chairman Larry Padora attempted to sympathize with both sides of the discussion on Wednesday. He said that mistakes in providing services could have been made in the past but “9 times out of 10, they’re doing the right thing.”
“It’s a hard situation. I wish it didn’t happen. I wish everybody took care of their children, everybody took their responsibilities seriously but there’s times that people don’t and stuff like this happens and hopefully people work together,” he said. “There is recourse. It’s not a good situation all the way around.”
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