MANSFIELD — Tara Lautzenhiser said Tuesday she is not interested in raising so many children in Richland County.
“I don’t want to be the parent of 160 kids in this county,” the Richland County Children Services executive director told county commissioners.
“So we’ve got to, as adults, take responsibility. Parents have got to take responsibility and get the help that they need. It’s out there. It’s in this community.”
Lautzenhiser’s address was part of a meeting to help launch April as the annual Child Abuse Prevention Month in the nation, state and county.
“We only have 53 (licensed) foster homes. So if you do the math, we don’t quite have enough foster homes, and so we have to then look for out-of-network care,” she said.
“Sometimes they have to go out of county and we do have some kiddos that are out of state, because this is not only a Richland County issue, but also a state and federal issue, as well.”
Adult drug abuse may lead to child abuse
Adults with drug problems that filter into the lives — and bodies — of their children continue to be a significant factor in what has led the local child welfare agency to become “parents” to the 160 children in its custody as of Tuesday.
She said RCCS investigated 1,455 “child victims” in 2025 and handled 975 child-abuse cases during the year. The director said the agency has seen a steady rise in physical abuse cases since 2023, largely tied to children who test positive for drugs obtained in the home.
“For as long as I’ve been at Children Services, neglect has always been the major, the most high-risk category that we investigate. Last year, we had a significant increase of physical abuse and that is because of the drug use that has gone on … that is going on … in this county,” said Lautzenhiser, who started with the agency in 2008.
A Mansfield native, she was appointed executive director in January 2025. She earned a bachelor’s degree in psychology from The Ohio State University and a master’s degree in criminal justice with a concentration in forensic psychology from Tiffin University.
Lautzenhiser said RCCS tested 623 minors for drugs in 2025, from birth to age 18. She said 40 percent of those tested were positive. She said marijuana, cocaine and methamphetamine were the most common drugs found in the children.
“I just wanted to point out that our most significant drug screen positive test that we had was a one-month-old, who tested positive for meth, cocaine, heroin, fentanyl and medetomidine, which is a horse tranquilizer.
“(The infant) tested positive for all of those. That was one drug screen. That was early in 2025. We are very lucky that child is doing well today, but that could have been a huge tragedy. We’re thankful that child’s alive,” Lautzenhiser said.
She said the baby’s siblings tested positive for several drugs, as well.
Lautzenhiser said the agency has screened around 25 children under the age of 5 in 2026 and 11 have tested positive for drugs.
She said parents and guardians are often surprised to learn children in their care have ingested drugs.
“I would say about 90 percent of the time the parents are shocked to know that their child or children are in fact tested positive for the same drugs that they’re using,” the director said.
“We talk to them about that (and say), ‘ You can’t smoke in the same room as your children.’ They don’t really think about the residue and the paraphernalia that they leave around. They don’t really think that, ‘Oh, the kids are going to get into that.’ But they do, and so a lot of them are shocked,” Lautzenhiser said.
“We do have cases where parents give their children drugs if they’re wanting them to calm down or if they are hyperactive. So they, they do try to medicate them with drugs (in some cases).”
The first legal cannabis store opened in Mansfield in April 2025. Lautzenhiser said RCCS has no specific data to indicate local children have tested positive for marijuana purchased at that facility.
“We have seen an uptick though, since (legal Ohio) dispensaries have been opened in THC in the homes and gummies and things like that that people are purchasing. We have seen a, a significant increase,” Lautzenhiser said.
Mansfield police Chief Jason Bammann said after the meeting the MPD has not documented any criminal child abuse cases linked to the local cannabis dispensary.
Abuse prevention theme is ‘Together We Protect Tomorrows’
The theme for the countywide child abuse prevention month is “Together We Protect Tomorrows.”
“We really wanted to focus, not only this month, but this year on communities coming together to prevent and protect their tomorrows,” Lautzenhiser said.
“We have had a lot of great input over the years from community leaders, educational leaders, and faith-based leaders. We really do truly believe that prevention, of child abuse is possible, through the support of the entire community, linking families to resources.
“Richland County is full of resources — drug and alcohol, mental health, educational, parenting support. We have mentoring (available) so we are asking everyone to really focus on how can we prevent child abuse and neglect … how can we help those parents that are struggling with certain things and preventing that,” the RCCS director said.
RCCS depends on mandated child abuse reporters such as teachers, health care workers, mental health professionals and daycare workers (among others) to report suspicions to the agency.
Lautzenhiser said RCCS also needs the public, in general, to call the agency at 419-774-4100.
“We’re open 24 hours a day, any holiday, in the middle of the night, and yes, all of our, referral sources can remain anonymous. Even if you choose to tell us your information, we can never disclose who made that call to us,” she said.
“I’s really, really important to call us if you’re seeing something so that we can prevent something like a death or a significant tragedy.
“If you know parents that are struggling, they can call us and ask. We can give out resources. We have so many, places in this community that can help.
“If a parent’s struggling, or you know that a parent is struggling, it’s really important that you own it and try to get the help so that (the) kids are not suffering,” Lautzenhiser said.
