I think if our daughter, Molly, were to meet Anne Bruscino, they'd be instant friends. They certainly have a lot in common.

Both were honors students. Both pursued careers working with children, Molly in teaching English and drama and Anne in special education. They each took on part time jobs and volunteer work that enhanced these goals.

Molly worked for years with the YMCA; Anne was a Sunday school teacher and an assistant at a day care center. These are the kind of young women who won't just make a living; they'll make a difference.
At least Molly will. Anne may never have the opportunity.

In October 2008, she was majoring in special education at the College of Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. She worked part time at a local day care center, helping look after the 3-year-old class. One afternoon, she and another worker were supervising a group of seven children on the fenced playground. Remember that — a fenced playground that wasn't bordered by a public street, that had a locked gate, ringed by security cameras and windows.

One of the children had a potty emergency that simply would not wait. The other worker hurried him off to the bathroom while Anne shepherded the other children inside. In the midst of that activity, one of the mothers showed up and the corresponding child took off to meet her.

While Anne was dealing with that distraction, she failed to make the necessary head count and one child was left behind on the playground. Moments later, she realized her mistake and rushed back out to retrieve the little girl who was found sitting on a swing talking with another staff member who had come along. The whole incident lasted less that five minutes.

These things happen. I once dropped my first-grader off at the front door of her school. We were running late so I wasn't surprised that there were no buses at the building. I was surprised, however, when I received a phone call telling me that it was a teacher work day and to please come pick up my daughter. I felt like an idiot and the story lives on forever in Glazer family lore but it never once crossed my mind that I could have been reported for child endangerment. In retrospect, however, if we'd lived in Anne Bruscino's neighborhood, I might well have been put on the Central Register of Child Abuse and Maltreatment.

But back to Anne's story. Anne reported what had happened. The child's parent's were notified. Following facility policy, Anne and her co-worker were reported to the state, which opened a child protective services investigation. They were cleared of any criminal wrongdoing but both Anne and her co-worker were put on the child abuse and neglect registry for 25 years.

Yes, you read that right. Child abuse and neglect. Among the names of crack heads who disappeared for days, leaving children to fend for themselves and child beaters and baby starvers is the name of Anne Bruscino, who accidentally left a child in a secure environment for less than 300 seconds.

OK, but there's an appeals process, right? Anne and her attorney took the case to an administrative law judge at the New York State Office of Children and Family Services. Anne's argument was that the child was never endangered and that her one time mistake was just that, an isolated mistake. The judge denied her request, saying she should remain on the list because of the possibility that something bad could have happened during those five minutes.

According to the Albany Times Union, the judge, Susan Lyn Preston, wrote: "Clearly, Caitlin (the child) was at imminent risk of harm in this situation. The fact that the playground was surrounded by a chain-link fence does not eliminate the risk that Caitlin could have been abducted. A person with an evil intent could have easily gotten over the fence or lured Caitlin to the fence."

Imminent risk? Were there strangers with candy surrounding the fence? Was there a van with blacked-out windows idling nearby? Were rabid dogs snarling at the gate? Was the child left alone out there in the middle of a thunderstorm? I suspect the good judge has confused "imminent" with "potential" and that makes all the difference in the world.

So Anne is presently blacklisted from pursuing a career she loves and has spent years preparing for. She can't take classes that involve hands-on contact with children. What employer in their right mind would hire her? Her case has been appealed to the state Supreme Court in Albany and is currently pending.

I think it says a lot about this young woman's character that, in the midst of all this turmoil, while her life has taken a detour through the looking glass and down the rabbit hole, she still managed to earn a place on the Dean's List at the College of St. Rose.

Teressa Glazer is a Gainesville businesswoman. Her column appears biweekly on Fridays and on gainesvilletimes.com.