Brown County Child Welfare Board members with approval of the Brown County Commissioners Court declared the month of April as Child Abuse Prevention and Awareness Month.

Board member Sherry Clark presented the proclamation to those in attendance.  Through the proclamation, she explained that there are over 17,000 Texas children in foster care and nearly 225,000 within the state who are reported as abused or neglected each year.

The proclamation offered the following tips to help combat this epidemic of abuse and neglect:

• Communities must make every effort to promote programs that benefit children and their families
• Effective child abuse prevention programs succeed because of partnerships among agencies, schools, religious organizations, law enforcement agencies, and the business community.
• Everyone in the community should become more aware of child abuse prevention and consider helping parents raise their children in a safe, nurturing environment.

Brown County citizens are urged to work together to help reduce child abuse and neglect significantly in the years to come.  Brown County Child Welfare Board members encourage everyone to wear a blue shirt, dress, tie or ribbon on Wednesday, April 9th and on all Fridays in April as a show of support for child abuse prevention and awareness month.

Pictured above are Brown County Child Welfare Board members:  (in no particular order):  Cotton Wood, Kay Wilson, County Judge Ray West, Sherry Clark, Linda Gossett, Susan Gilger, Suzanne Johnson, and Glenna Brownlee.

In other matters on Monday’s agenda:

*Commissioners approved the addition of Debbie Krischke as a new member of the Brown County Child Welfare Board.

*Commissioners discussed the need to keep the burn ban in effect and agreed to do leave it in place due to the continuing drought conditions and lack of rain.  They also agreed to continue to keep the matter on the agenda in the coming weeks.

*District Clerk Jan Brown received approval of promoting Amanda Bundick to Chief Deputy and approved necessary adjustments to Becky Dudley’s salary as Chief Deputy which were incorrectly made in her recent promotion.  The District Clerk’s office has two positions of chief deputy.

*Commissioners approved a Supplemental Annual Road Report which is required by a grant that is being sought by commissioners for road repair funds.  This supplement will contain road ratings and an explanation of wear and tear to roads within the county.

*Brown County Sheriff’s Office received approval of two new employees.  Justin Taylor was hired at base pay as a jailer.  Shawnee Perez was hired as a medical officer, replacing Mike Holder.  Chief Deputy Bobby Duvall stated that the position of environmental officer will hopefully be filled within a month’s time.  This position was previously held by Michelle Holder.

*Duvall reported that the jail count as of Monday morning was 164.