CLEVELAND - Cuyahoga county workers removed a third grader from his home because he weighs more than 200 pounds.

Officials feel that his mother was not doing enough to control the child's weight.

"This was a case of medical neglect in the opinion of health care professionals. This child has some severe conditions that if not dealt with differently than his family had at that point could be life threatening," said Pat Rideout, Department of Children and Family Services.

Reports show the 8-year-old is considered severely obese and at risk for diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, reported ONN's Cristin Severance.

Rideout said they worked with the family for more than a year to get the third grader's weight under control through programs and counseling. With no change in the boy's health, Rideout said they had to contact the court and take a more "intrusive approach."

"It was very, very serious. It was not a simple case, not an easy case, but a child at very, very serious risk," said Rideout.

State officials said this is the first time a child has been placed in foster care for a strictly weight-related issue. (source)

The Department of Children and Family Services seems so focused on getting the child's weight to drop, little consideration is given to the kid's psychological health. Through this move, which was bound to end up in the news, they have drawn not just local attention to him, but national and even world attention. Not only that, it's traumatic to take a child out of his home and place him with strangers.