La. governor’s office silent after latest child welfare controversy

BATON ROUGE, La. (WAFB) - The communications staff in the office of Governor John Bel Edwards has been unresponsive to requests for the governor’s reaction to the ongoing turmoil in Louisiana’s child welfare agency.

Leaders of the Department of Children and Family Services (DCFS) are back in the hot seat after a child’s deadly overdose earlier this month. The agency’s top official, DCFS Secretary Marketa Garner Walters, said a series of staffing changes led to a lull in oversight of the child’s case.

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A similar situation happened in August when Walters acknowledged staffing changes led to missed warning signs. The child in that case also died.

In both situations, Walters said the cases slipped through the cracks because of staffing shortages, staffing changes, and heavy caseloads.

In the aftermath of the August incident, the governor’s spokeswoman said his administration was aware of those staffing issues, but that there should be “no excuses.”

When asked Monday if she plans to step down amid another death, Walters reminded reporters that she serves at the pleasure of the governor. It is unclear if the governor has had a conversation with Walters to discuss her future with the department

Requests for a response from the governor’s office have gone unanswered.

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