Report child abuse if it's suspected

Thank you, Michael Dobie, for your heart-wrenching column on the Valva brothers’ abuse and Thomas’ ultimate death [“Interminable sadness at Valva trial,” Opinion, Oct. 23].

I also recall 6-year-old Lisa Steinberg’s death in 1987. These atrocities happened at the hands of the very people who were charged with their well-being and protection.

The teachers of the Valva boys apparently tried their darndest to keep reporting the abuse to Child Protective Services without a successful resolution.

The policemen in Uvalde, Texas who didn’t put innocent children first were dismissed from their jobs. What consequences should the CPS workers face for possibly failing Thomas Valva because his father was an NYPD officer?

Thank you for also shedding light on the horrifying statistics of child abuse and neglect in our country. We are failing our children if we do not report and follow up on any suspicion or proof of children suffering at the hands of their own parents or caregivers.

— Adele Damian, Huntington

Michael Valva, if convicted, deserves a lifetime prison sentence [“Murder charge upheld,” News, Oct. 28]. What kind of person does to his own children what he did? And why did he fight with his wife to get custody of them if he was going to treat them like that?

Why did Child Protective Services not pay more attention to the information from the teachers? How could their personnel conclude after visiting with Michael Valva that everything was OK in their home? This tragedy did not have to happen.

— Theresa Nastasia, Stewart Manor

The East Moriches school district teachers, psychologist and principal are paid to protect our children. Child Protective Services and the police could have been called every day.

— Art Causin, Melville