Colbi Braun — who celebrated her second birthday Friday — had her adoption with her Kettering parents approved by the court. The parents agreed to a fully online adoption hearing, in which the adoption was formalized by the court.
“From my perspective, it’s about a dedicated staff,” Probate Judge David Brannon said, adding: “It’s neat that the world doesn’t stop when you get seven inches of snow.”
The court, which conducts around 200 adoption hearings a year, has had virtual hearings in the past, particularly since the pandemic began, noted S. Tyler Wright, the court’s public information officer.
But this was the first time all court participants and family members took part fully virtually, Wright said. The hearings are recorded to the “cloud” — secure servers elsewhere — and downloaded for retrieval when needed by others.
Safety was the first reason, the judge said.
“I guess it was, first, a test run because we never tried 100% virtual hearings before,” Brannon said. “But it was also a matter of necessity because of the weather. I mean, when people are down with COVID, the Bengals and the weather, it seems like everybody has a reason not to get things down. We have a pretty dedicated staff.”
Counsel and attorneys agreed to go the virtual route, he said.
In all, the court oversaw three virtual adoption hearings Friday and 10 virtual civil commitment hearings — sometimes called “pink slip” hearings, addressing confidential situations involving people who may be considered a danger to themselves and others.
Brannon praised the parents for their flexibility and openness.
“I think the credit goes to the parents on that one,” he said. “They take a difficult situation and then invite the child in. We kind of give all the credit to them.”
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