Records related to DCPP case opened May 23, 2025 regarding Alana Mann-Spivey medical neglect.
Dear New Jersey Division of Children & Families,
Under the New Jersey Open Public Records Act (OPRA) and the common law right of access, I am requesting the following records from the Division of Child Protection and Permanency:
1. All DCPP intake reports, case initiation documents, and investigation summaries related to the case opened on May 23, 2025 involving minor Alana Mann-Spivey (DOB: 04/30/2021) for alleged medical neglect.
2. All correspondence, including emails, between DCPP staff and law enforcement agencies (Newark Police Department, Pennsylvania law enforcement, FBI) regarding the location, safety, or custody of Alana Mann-Spivey from May 23, 2025 to present.
3. Any case notes or updates documenting contact with Jonelle Mann and/or attempts to verify her address after the case was opened.
Please provide these records in electronic format via email if possible. If any portion of my request is denied, please state the legal basis for the denial and release all segregable portions of otherwise exempt material.
Sincerely,
Khalif Spivey
2080 h York rd
4695844434
Dear New Jersey Division of Children & Families,
This is a follow-up to my OPRA request submitted on August 14, 2025 regarding:
“Records related to DCPP case opened May 23, 2025 regarding Alana Mann-Spivey medical neglect.”
As a reminder, OPRA requires a response within seven (7) business days of receipt. If any portion of the requested records is determined to be exempt, please provide all reasonably segregable portions of the records, redacting only the specific exempt material, and cite the legal basis for each redaction in accordance with N.J.S.A. 47:1A-5(g).
Please confirm receipt of this follow-up and advise when I can expect the records.
Thank you,
Khalif Spivey
4695844434
Good morning,
NJ DCF OPRA is in receipt of the below request.
Your request for records must be denied under OPRA. The Department can neither confirm nor deny the existence of any such records regarding allegations or investigations of child abuse, including all requested emails and case notes, due to their high degree of confidentiality. N. Jersey Media Grp. v. Bergen Cnty. Prosecutor’s Office, 447 N.J. Super. 182 (App. Div. 2016). The contents of the Department’s investigative records and case files are confidential under N.J.S.A. 9:6-8.10a, which provides that “all information obtained by [the Department] in investigating such reports . . . shall be kept confidential” and therefore exempt from OPRA. (Effectuated by N.J.S.A. 47:1A-9(a), “[OPRA] shall not abrogate any exemption of a public record or government record from public access heretofore made pursuant to . . . any other statute.”)
Your closing receipt is attached.
Thank you,
Allyson Mahoney, Esq.
Ethics Liaison Officer | OPRA Custodian
NJ Department of Children and Families
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