When a False Drug Test Steals Your Children: One Massachusetts Family’s Ongoing Battle Against CPS
A Heartbreaking Allegation in Central Massachusetts
A family in Central Massachusetts is speaking out after two years of heartbreak and confusion—two years without their children, taken by Child Protective Services (CPS) under questionable circumstances. According to the grandmother, her son and daughter-in-law had their children removed after a false-positive drug test during childbirth. Despite completing every requirement the court and CPS laid out—parenting classes, evaluations, check-ins—the goalposts keep moving.
Now, new demands are being made: additional psychological evaluations, domestic violence courses (despite no history or allegations of violence), and scrutiny of the father’s juvenile record—a record that should have no bearing on his ability to parent today.
They're only 23 and 24 years old, yet CPS reportedly claims they are "too young to parent." Their court-appointed lawyer allegedly told them, “Because you don’t have money, this is what’s going to happen.” No support. No outside help allowed in court. No end in sight.
But this is not just one family’s nightmare—it’s a pattern nationwide.
False Positives: The Start of Many Wrongful CPS Cases
False drug tests—especially during childbirth—have become a common trigger for CPS investigations, even when later proven inaccurate. According to a 2021 NYTimes investigation, false positives from hospital-administered drug tests have led to unnecessary child removals, disproportionately affecting low-income families.
Once a child enters the system, getting them back can take months or even years, regardless of the strength of the original claim.
How the System Profits from Family Separation
Under Title IV-E of the Social Security Act, states receive federal funding for every child placed in foster care. The numbers vary, but it’s estimated that states receive between $40,000 and $200,000 per child per year, depending on the child's needs, disabilities, and the type of placement.
Here’s what the incentives look like:
More foster care placements = More federal funding
Longer cases = More billable hours for service providers, evaluators, therapists, and attorneys
Adoptions through foster care = Financial bonuses from the federal government
This system creates a perverse incentive to keep children in care, delay reunification, and push adoption over family preservation—especially when the parents are young, poor, or have a past they’re trying to overcome.
The Emotional and Developmental Cost
According to the National Coalition for Child Protection Reform (NCCPR):
Children in foster care are 4 times more likely to be abused than children in the general population.
Children removed unnecessarily suffer increased rates of PTSD, developmental delays, and educational challenges.
Parental rights can be terminated after 15 months, even when delays are caused by the system itself.
That means families like this one in Massachusetts could lose their children permanently simply because they’re poor or don’t have the legal firepower to fight back.
Systemic Bias: Poverty, Age, and the Weaponization of the Past
This case also reveals the dangerous way poverty and youth are treated as risks. A father’s juvenile record—which should have no legal bearing today—is reportedly being used against him. And being “too young” to parent? That’s not a crime. Many loving parents begin families in their early 20s.
Yet in this case, those factors are being used to justify additional hoops and delay reunification. Instead of supporting a young couple who’ve met all demands, the system appears to be setting them up to fail.
A Call for Reform
This story is sadly not unique. Across the country:
Parents face years of court-ordered programs with no clear path to getting their kids back.
Lawyers often tell them to accept the outcome because they can’t afford to fight.
Families are shut out of courtrooms, left without support, while CPS and contracted professionals profit from keeping the case open.
We must demand:
Mandatory retesting after a positive drug screen—especially before CPS gets involved.
Accountability for court delays and new, unnecessary requirements.
Funding models that reward family reunification, not separation.
Final Thoughts: How You Can Help
If you're reading this and wondering what you can do:
✅ Share this story to raise awareness.
✅ Call your lawmakers to support family-first legislation.
✅ Support organizations (like Father’s Advocacy Network or I4FJ) that provide legal aid and advocate for parents' rights.
Most importantly, remember: No child should grow up in foster care simply because their parents are young, poor, or had a rocky past. Families deserve support—not punishment.
