Governor DeSantis signs ‘Greyson’s Law’ aimed at protecting children from harmful households
Governor Ron DeSantis has approved legislation designed to expedite court proceedings in removing a child from a potentially harmful household.
The bill, termed as “Greyson’s Law,” was initiated in the aftermath of a tragic incident involving a four-year-old boy from Broward County, named Greyson, who was fatally wounded by his father in 2021.
Alison Kessler, Greyson’s mother, had endeavored to restrict Greyson’s father’s access to their son and herself, citing the father’s erratic and escalating behavior in her petitions. Despite her efforts, legal assistance was not granted due to a lack of directed threats towards Greyson, despite the numerous threats Alison had received.
The lack of direct threats led to a tragic outcome in May 2021 when Alison was unable to reach Greyson’s father or ascertain Greyson’s whereabouts after two days of absence from school. Legal efforts to retrieve Greyson were rejected, with the judge citing that the issue pertained to child visitation rather than an emergent situation.
In a tragic culmination of events, Greyson and his father were later discovered deceased in the latter’s Fort Lauderdale residence, with authorities attributing the cause of death to a murder-suicide carried out by Greyson’s father.
“Greyson’s Law,” set to be enacted from July 1, will empower the court to expedite the removal of a child from a parent or guardian under suspicions of risk to the child’s safety or wellbeing or that of the other parent.
