My same thought - it’s basically a state-run orphanage. Not necessarily a new concept, and it is needed for SOME few children; but the idea of the state as “foster parent” is chilling on so many levels...
My greatest fear would be that parents simply abandon their children on the doorstep of the school - or that other families may have their children unwillingly forced into these 24-7 institutions by the state.
It would be far better for abandoned children to be in loving families, rather than warehoused in orphanages. But there are so few families who are fostering nowadays, thanks to red tape and regulations. How very sad that this is even being considered... and how frightening for those who fear losing even more parental rights!
My mother's cousins were raised at The Bethesda Home for Boys because their father died when they were young and their mother was unable to provide for them and didn't want them on the streets. They turned into fine, upstanding citizens and held good jobs in their communities as adults.
There's the potential for abuse in any situation. Some children are abused and killed by parents and stepparents. Other children are abused and killed in foster care.
I don't know that broad-brush characterizations are helpful, and there are certainly some children I've seen that I thought would be better off in different situations -- but as others have pointed out, exactly who gets to make that determination?