---
title: Colorado kids could get bigger say in abuse and neglect cases
description: News:Makita Cotto got home from school one day to face unwelcome news from her foster mother. A judge had forbidden Cotto, who was 15 at the time, from ever speaking with her biological mother or brother.
---

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# [Colorado kids could get bigger say in abuse and neglect cases](https://blog.dsstpublicschools.org/helix/colorado-kids-could-get-bigger-say-in-abuse-and-neglect-cases)

 Written by [DSST Public Schools](https://blog.dsstpublicschools.org/helix/author/dsst-public-schools) | 04/15/22

Makita Cotto got home from school one day to face unwelcome news from her foster mother. A judge had forbidden Cotto, who was 15 at the time, from ever speaking with her biological mother or brother.

“If I did, then I was facing contempt of court at 15,” Cotto, now 36, recalled. She immediately got on the phone with her state-provided attorney, also known as a guardian ad litem, who had asked for the court order.

Read the full [Colorado Newsline story here](https://coloradonewsline.com/2022/01/04/colorado-kids-abuse-neglect-cases/).

[View full post](https://blog.dsstpublicschools.org/helix/colorado-kids-could-get-bigger-say-in-abuse-and-neglect-cases)

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