The state has asked for an extension in responding to a monitoring panel's report that criticizes the state child-welfare system's compliance with an out-of-court settlement.

The two sides in the 1993 class-action case, filed on behalf of abused children and children in foster care, had until Wednesday to challenge the panel's findings.The report, which found the state out of compliance in 54 of 92 areas, was written by two of the three volunteer members of a monitoring panel created by the lawsuit's 1994 settlement.

The state Wednesday asked for an extension of the deadline so it could gather evidence to show why the panel's report should be rejected.

Officials in the Division of Family Services and its parent Department of Human Services say the panel's methodology was shoddy and its conclusions indefensible.

The agencies also complained about the monitoring process and said they planned to ask the court to modify sections of the settlement.

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Meanwhile, the National Center for Youth Law wants the court to reverse six of the panel's findings where it believes the panel was too generous to the state.

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