The Daily with Donna:
Road to the Registry
The Daily with Donna documents Donna Kshir's journey to the 'Road to the Registry' with best friend and sister advocate Lee 'Cougardawn' Roberts in an effort to open the Central Registry, making it public like Megan's Law. There are many highs and lows, twists and turns but through it all, they are determined to see it through.
Borowicz offers support for opening The Central Registry - Read Full Story
Donna M. Kshir and Lee 'Cougardawn' Roberts, both grandmothers, want people to be able to search offenders by name and location, according to Lexi Howard, an assistant and spokeswoman for Kshir and Roberts.
The grandmothers are seeking legislation to become law that would require the State Police to open the current private computerized database of individuals convicted of child abuse offenses in the state, including their name, date of birth, the tier of the crime and the location the crime took place which is often needed to find court records.
Past and latest efforts
Since 2015, Kshir and Roberts have been trying to get the child abuse registry to be open.
“They believe opening the central registry will give parents the opportunity to protect their children from the unknown,” Howard said.
Their latest effort includes a scheduled meeting on May 14 with state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-McElhattan, to see if they can get her support and sponsorship of legislation.
A prior meeting with Denise Maris, a Democrat candidate for the 76th District for state representative, resulted in Maris’ pledge of support of the proposal should she be elected.
Should the bill pass into law, the women would like it to be named Anson’s Law, after 9-year-old Anson Stover who suffered unspeakable abuse, was placed into a bathtub, and died from the injuries inflicted on him at the hands of his aunt.
The two started campaigning to open the child abuse central registry after 2-year-old Conner Bachuss lost his life to child abuse.
Kshir used her influence as an author and advocate seeking Conner’s Law alongside Conner’s mother, Mashanna Bachuss-Waggoner, to get justice for the toddler.
Conner’s Law became law, with a signature from Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear in March 2015. Manslaughter in the first degree, which carries a 10-20 year sentence, now includes fatal child abuse. Abusers have to serve 85% of that sentence before being released.
The Kentucky toddler’s killer, Ronald Saunders II, suffered from violence in his background, but his past was hidden on the private registry.
After serving 5 ½ years in prison, on a plea deal, for torturing and killing the toddler, Saunders was released from prison and re-offended abusing another child within a month of his release.
Four types of child abuse include neglect, physical, emotional and sexual abuse. In some countries, using corporal punishment is regarded as child abuse.
One study recorded in MedicalNews Today has suggested that 1 in 4 children experience some kind of neglect or abuse at some time.
Children who may have experienced abuse should visit a doctor or hospital, as physical medical help or counseling may be needed.
Anyone who believes they are abusing, have abused, or might abuse a child should remove themselves from the child and place the child somewhere safe, for example, by asking someone else to look after them, then find someone to confide in. Counseling may be necessary.
For more updates on the central registry, visit the petition tab on this website!
The grandmothers are seeking legislation to become law that would require the State Police to open the current private computerized database of individuals convicted of child abuse offenses in the state, including their name, date of birth, the tier of the crime and the location the crime took place which is often needed to find court records.
Past and latest efforts
Since 2015, Kshir and Roberts have been trying to get the child abuse registry to be open.
“They believe opening the central registry will give parents the opportunity to protect their children from the unknown,” Howard said.
Their latest effort includes a scheduled meeting on May 14 with state Rep. Stephanie Borowicz, R-McElhattan, to see if they can get her support and sponsorship of legislation.
A prior meeting with Denise Maris, a Democrat candidate for the 76th District for state representative, resulted in Maris’ pledge of support of the proposal should she be elected.
Should the bill pass into law, the women would like it to be named Anson’s Law, after 9-year-old Anson Stover who suffered unspeakable abuse, was placed into a bathtub, and died from the injuries inflicted on him at the hands of his aunt.
The two started campaigning to open the child abuse central registry after 2-year-old Conner Bachuss lost his life to child abuse.
Kshir used her influence as an author and advocate seeking Conner’s Law alongside Conner’s mother, Mashanna Bachuss-Waggoner, to get justice for the toddler.
Conner’s Law became law, with a signature from Kentucky Gov. Steve Beshear in March 2015. Manslaughter in the first degree, which carries a 10-20 year sentence, now includes fatal child abuse. Abusers have to serve 85% of that sentence before being released.
The Kentucky toddler’s killer, Ronald Saunders II, suffered from violence in his background, but his past was hidden on the private registry.
After serving 5 ½ years in prison, on a plea deal, for torturing and killing the toddler, Saunders was released from prison and re-offended abusing another child within a month of his release.
Four types of child abuse include neglect, physical, emotional and sexual abuse. In some countries, using corporal punishment is regarded as child abuse.
One study recorded in MedicalNews Today has suggested that 1 in 4 children experience some kind of neglect or abuse at some time.
Children who may have experienced abuse should visit a doctor or hospital, as physical medical help or counseling may be needed.
Anyone who believes they are abusing, have abused, or might abuse a child should remove themselves from the child and place the child somewhere safe, for example, by asking someone else to look after them, then find someone to confide in. Counseling may be necessary.
For more updates on the central registry, visit the petition tab on this website!
Pennsylvania has provided Megan’s Law, a sex offender registry, where people can search out offenders by name, photograph and location. Unlike the sex offender registry, the child abuse central registry remains private. Pennsylvania’s Unified Judicial System provides comprehensive public access to court records online upon request but the central registry differs. The child abuse central registry is the state’s database containing the names of those being investigated and convicted of child abuse in Pennsylvania.
Since 2015, two Clinton County, Pennsylvania grandmothers, Donna M. Kshir and Lee 'Cougardawn' Roberts, have been fighting to make it happen. They believe opening the central registry will give parents the opportunity to protect their children from the unknown. The two started campaigning to open the child abuse central registry after 2-year-old Conner Bachuss lost his life to child abuse. The Kentucky toddler’s killer, Ronald Saunders II, had a very violent dating back to his time in the military, but his past was hidden on the private registry. After serving 5.5 years in prison, on a plea deal, for torturing and killing the toddler, Saunders would be released from prison and re-offend abusing another child within a month of his release.
On Wednesday, May 4th, Ms. Kshir sat down with Pennsylvania State Representative Republican Stephanie Borowicz to seek sponsorship. The duo spoke for approximately 45 minutes. Although Borowicz shared kind words for Ms. Kshir and Roberts’ work to protect children, and she also supports protecting children at this time she needs more time to read thoroughly threw the proposed bill.
Kshir remains determined to see Pennsylvania lead the way, setting an exsample for other states to follow on the importance of protecting children. The measure would require the Pennsylvania State Police to open the current private computerized database of individuals convicted of child abuse offenses in the state, including their name, date of birth, photograph, the tier of the crime and the location the crime took place which is often needed to find in court records.
The duo has already met with Denise Maris, Democratic candidate for the 76th District for State Representative. Maris has shown her full support and if elected will sponsor the proposal and present it to the House on their behalf.
Maris is a mother of 4, a grandmother of 2 is a strong voice for our children. As a former elementary school bus driver, Ms. Maris understands that our most vulnerable population is not only our seniors but our children. Maris said, “We must protect them (children) with all the tools available to us for without our children, we have no future. We are in a time where knowledge and technology are at our fingertips, but with that also come predators and abusers that can take advantage of a system that is broken.”
In addition to candidate Maris, Ms. Kshir also reached out to Elijah Probst, who is also a Democratic candidate for the 76th District for State Representative. Probst responded, “I’m personally not very familiar with the child abuse central registry and I would need to do some research before saying for sure. Passing any piece of legislation is a complicated process with a lot of moving parts, but I’ll always strive to pass legislation and serve in the way that best support the district if elected.” Ms. Kshir hopes to meet with Probst in the weeks to come.
If the bill is passed into law the duo wants to name the law Anson’s Law, after 9-year-old Anson Stover who suffered unspeakable abuse, was placed into a bathtub, and died from the injuries inflicted on him at the hands of his aunt.
Ms. Kshir used her influence seeking Conner’s Law alongside Conner’s mother, Mashanna Bachuss-Waggoner, to get justice for the toddler. Conner’s Law became law, with a signature from Governor Steve Beshear in March 2015. Manslaughter in the first degree, which carries a 10–20 year sentence, now includes fatal child abuse. Abusers have to serve 85 percent of that sentence before being released.
Source: Medium
Source: Clinton County Record
Two more steps toward a better informed public:
Two recent articles in the Williamsport Sun-Gazette indicate progress in the unyielding fight for transparency and for a public with better tools to be more fully informed.
First, in the weekend edition of the Sun-Gazette, two Clinton County women, Donna Kshir and Lee 'Cougardawn' Roberts, are working diligently on making the child abuse registry available to the public. “They believe opening the central registry will give parents the opportunity to protect their children,” Lexi Howard, who is working with Kshir and Roberts, told the Sun-Gazette. Their efforts should be commended by all parents and by all readers who care about the safety of the children of our communities. We all should hope their efforts succeed. Second, an Associated Press article in Monday’s Sun-Gazette examined how newspapers and the media are using “open source” investigations to better inform the public. READ THE FULL ARTICLE!! |