Child Abuse Panel Would Meet in Secret

An independent panel of experts would examine the deaths of abused and neglected children in Kentucky under a proposal approved unanimously Thursday by a House committee. The independent child-fatality review panel would make recommendations to the state about how to improve its child-protection system, but the group's meetings would be closed to the public, and its documents would remain secret. Jon Fleischaker, a lawyer for the Kentucky Press Association, objected to the secrecy of the panel, saying there was no accountability to the public.