In the Interest of P.S., Minor Child
K.S., Mother-Appellant
Attorney for Appellant Mother
Raya D. Dimitrova
Attorney for Appellee State
Natalie Deerr, Assistant Attorney General
Guardian ad Litem
Erica Parkey
Court of Appeals
Court of Appeals Opinion
Opinion Number:
Date Published:
Summary
Appeal from the Iowa District Court for Madison County, Kevin Parker, District Associate Judge. AFFIRMED ON BOTH APPEALS. Considered by Mullins, P.J., and Schumacher and Ahlers, JJ. Opinion by Ahlers, J. (16 pages)
The mother and father separately appeal the termination of their parental rights. OPINION HOLDS: Due to ongoing concerns about the parents’ mental health and substance abuse, we find the State proved a statutory ground for termination, and we reject their requests for an additional six months for reunification. We also reject the father’s statutory and constitutional objections to holding concurrent permanency and termination proceedings, find no abuse of discretion in denying the father’s motion to reopen the record, and conclude reasonable efforts were made to avoid out-of-home placement.