Shanesha Taylor news coverage
Shanesha Taylor was arrested in March after her young children were discovered in a closed car, where they had been for most of an hour. Temperatures that day were reported to be close to 100, but they fortunately escaped injury. After her arrest, support poured in, and a fundraiser reached well over $100,000.
Charges will be dismissed
Today, it was announced that the charges against her will be dismissed as long as she completes a diversion program that includes parenting and substance-abuse classes. She also must establish an education and child care fund for each of her three children.
Taylor's children were uncomfortable, but thankfully they were unharmed. She reported that she had no child care that day and was attempting to get a job. She felt she had no choice but to leave her kiddos in the car while she went to the interview.
Her case illustrates the plight of those without the means to get themselves out of a difficult situation. If you have no easy access to child care and have no money to hire someone to watch your kids, what do you do when you get called for a job interview — an interview that can get you and your children what your family needs?
History reflects that other parents who leave their children in hot cars, who emerge unharmed, are also often offered plea deals or probation, so Taylor's ultimate result is not unusual. Hopefully she will complete her classes and she and her family will be better off for it.
More on kids in hot cars
I left my toddler in a hot car
Why the toddler who died in a hot car in Georgia haunts us
These simple habits can prevent kids dying in hot cars