The duties of a guardian for a child have been clearly outlined by law. Court-appointed guardians have the same legal responsibilities as parents.
Therefore the role of guardians should never be taken lightly. They must keep detailed records of child’s well-being, provide education, ensure access to health care, manage finances, and give court reports when the laws require them to do so.
They may be held responsible for legal troubles that the child under their care may cause and for any instant of neglect and abuse on the guardians’ part.
Depending on the circumstances leading to the appointment as guardians, financial assistance from social security or support from the biological parents must be handled appropriately by the guardians on behalf of the child.
But court-appointed guardians do not always carry out their duties according to the laws.
One particular case in Newton, Manitowoc County, Wisconsin, is an unmistakable reminder that the system for the appointment of legal guardians can go entirely wrong.
Ethan Hauschultz, a 7-year-old-boy put under the care of his great-uncle, was found dead on April 20, 2018, after being subjected to harsh punishment for failing to cite some bible verses.
The court-appointed guardian, Timothy Hauschultz, faces eight charges, including felony murder.
10 /10 One Abusive Parent To Another
Ethan Hauschultz spent his entire short seven years of life almost always around abusive people.
He was placed in out-of-home care following multiple substantiated Child Protective Services (CPS) reports of maltreatment, including neglect and physical abuse by his mother and her boyfriend, from 2013 to 2016.
The reports became the basis to remove the 7-year-old Ethan and his twin and an 8-year-old sister from the custody of their mother, Andrea Everett.
The children were then placed under the care of court-appointed guardians, Timothy and Tina McKeever-Hauschultz, who turned out to be just as abusive, if not worse.
9 /10 A 44-Pound Log
On April 20, 2018, Court records show that Timothy told his son Damian Hauschultz to make sure that Ethan completed his punishment for talking back to a teacher.
As a part of the punishment, Ethan was required to carry a 44-pound log for two hours around a path in the backyard of their house located in Newton, Wisconsin.
It was only one instance of what would have been a week-long routine of carrying a block of wood that Timothy himself picked. Damian was put in charge because his parents were not at home.