TULSA, Okla. — A former Oklahoma Department of Human Services employee, who became a vocal advocate for child welfare reform, was fired last week, following a year of public outcry for change within the agency.
Rosario Chico is a mother turned child advocate, after her family became another case in the system. She told 2 News that DHS failed to protect her children, and they were removed from her home in 2022.
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"The reason I went to go work for DHS was because my children were severely failed by the department and child sexual abuse was shoved under the rug," she said. "The supervisor that did the investigation directly, her husband is friends and was a co-worker of my husband, and she didn't get out of the case. She didn't tell anybody she had a conflict of interest, and she ended up unsubstantiating that case. My children have gone unbelieved and unprotected ever since.”
That's where her journey for justice began.
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Chico has led community events, gathering families just like hers all across Oklahoma who say the agency has harmed their children. She was also behind a petition to have DHS investigated by a grand jury.
Most recently, Chico helped run a rally outside the Tulsa County Courthouse calling for cameras in Oklahoma court rooms.
One day later, she was terminated from the agency.
2 News covered the rally outside the courthouse:
"I just knew this was going to happen, it was just a matter of when," said Chico. "Whenever I heard them say you can resign if you want, I refused because I haven't done anything wrong."
The reasoning Chico was given for her termination was because of a radio show appearance she made in early September. She told supervisors she had an appointment and she would be late into work.
Chico said she went to that appointment, but also stopped by the radio show before making her way into the office.
Since she started working for the agency, Chico said she has never had any disciplinary issues. Over the last year and a half, since she began speaking out against DHS, Chico maintains she's never been told not to.
"I don't think they followed their policy," she said. "They didn't have conversations with me about it, they didn't do a warning, they didn't address my advocacy. They knew I was very active in advocating for reform, and never once was there a meeting of, 'you know, it is your right to do this, but make sure that it's within certain guidelines.' There was there was nothing."
That said, Chico wasn't altogether surprised by the agency's move to relieve her of her duties.
"Every time I got on the news, every time I spoke, every Facebook live, I just felt that I would be fired," she said. "But to me, I can't stay silent. I can't stay silent for my children, and I can't stay silent for other families who are being affected. And if this is the risk I have to take, if raising my voice means losing my children, or criminal charges, or losing my job… I have a voice. I have at least been given that.”
Chico is facing child-stealing charges in her case for attempting to remove her children from what she said is an unsafe environment. Though she said she has not been to court in more than two and a half years, and feels there is no motivation to move her case forward.
Despite the setback, Chico said the termination has only strengthened her resolve to fight for justice for families affected by the child welfare system.
"I'm not going to stop," she said. "I didn't move forward with action when I was an employee, but now that I'm not an employee, I fully plan to hold the department accountable for what they did to my children."
2 News did reach out to the agency about Chico's employment, case and other allegations against them. They did not respond.
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