Parents Lose Custody of 200-lb. Third Grader

An Ohio third-grader who weighs more than 200 pounds has been taken from his family and placed into foster care after county social workers said his mother wasn’t doing enough to control his weight. So, the message here is: Don’t let your kids get fat, or we’ll take them away? Read more after the jump & let us know what you think in the comments!


(HP)–The case is the first state officials can recall of a child being put in foster care strictly for a weight-related issue.

Lawyers for the mother say the county overreached when authorities took the boy last week. They say the medical problems he is at risk for do not yet pose an imminent danger.

A spokeswoman says the county removed the child because caseworkers saw his mother’s inability to reduce his weight as medical neglect.