To the State Board of Social Services:

Discrimination of any sort harms children by disqualifying adults who otherwise qualify as foster or adoptive parents. The best interests of the child should be the sole factor in deciding whether a child should be placed with a prospective foster care or adoptive parent or parents.

For this reason State-licensed child placing agencies should not be allowed to discriminate against children or prospective parents based on race, national origin, ethnicity, gender, age, religion, political beliefs, sexual orientation, disability and family status

I therefor urge you restore to the final child-placement rules the protections against discrimination that were previously included in the proposed rules.

Thank you,

Tom Field