Kid Nation Meets Adult World

The kids are alright. Or are they?

That's what the New Mexico Attorney General's Office plans to find out after deciding to renew a probe to determine if CBS and producers of the upcoming reality series Kid Nation violated child labor and safety laws.

"We decided to review all the information we had based on a number of factors, not the least of which was the fact that there were media reports alleging possible violations of permit codes and also the possibility there were some child-endangerment problems," Phil Sisneros, spokesman for State Attorney General Gary King, told E! Online.

The series plops 40 children, ages 8 to 15, in a "ghost town" south of Santa Fe for what is billed as a controlled social experiment. The kids are expected to fend for themselves for 40 days without adult supervision. Kid Nation is scheduled to premiere Sept. 19.

But the show has become mired in controversy after a mother of one participant took issue with the production. The woman said her 12-year-old daughter's face was sprayed with kitchen grease while cooking and she suffered minor health problems. The mother alerted authorities about supposedly lax safety conditions at the privately owned Bonanza Creek Movie Ranch, where the series was shot in April.

Sisneros said the attorney general first became aware of Kid Nation after a state labor inspector paid a visit to the set upon learning that kids were being paid a stipend of $5,000 for their participation. The inspector requested all necessary work permits but producers balked and the inspector left after an hour.

At that point, King's office was notified and got in touch with CBS' lawyers about the work status of the children. The network claimed the kids were merely attending a sort of network-sponsored "summer camp."

However, according to Sisneros, New Mexico officials "weren't necessarily sure that they're depiction of what their agreements called for was covered by state laws."

"We looked into state laws and our response was that we weren't certain they were meeting that exemption status as a summer camp," said the spokesman.

But by the time King reached that conclusion, production on Kid Nation was over so his office didn't bother to investigate further—that is, until new reports about the conditions emerged in recent days.

In a letter to the attorney general, the aforementioned mother, identified by the Associated Press as Janice Miles of Fayetteville, Georgia, wrote that her daughter, Divad, was not properly supervised by the show's handlers. The child allegedly suffered sunburn on her face and hands and developed a rash that left her with several scars.

Miles also noted that four other kids accidentally drank bleach, necessitating immediate medical attention.

But network spokesman Mitch Graham refutes any talk that the production fostered an environment of abuse or neglect. The network released a statement asserting the "series was filmed responsibly and within all applicable laws in the state of New Mexico at the time of the production."

CBS also said that it had in place "safety procedures and safety structures that arguably rival or surpass any school or camp in the country." The support staff  included paramedics, a pediatrician, a child psychologist, an animal welfare expert and a bevy of producers to watch over the kids at virtually all times. And if any of the participants wanted off, the network said they were able to leave at any time.

Kid Nation's creator, Tom Forman, told Variety that the show was ultimately a positive experience, giving the children a chance to "prove to adults that they were capable of doing more than anyone thought they could ever do."

That includes making more than their usual allowance. CBS has agreed to pay the children $5,000 each as soon as Kid Nation begins its TV run, and $20,000 for a select group of children chosen by their peers.

Parents had to sign a 22-page contract that essentially waived CBS of all liability in the event their child was seriously injured or was even killed. They also had to sign a confidentiality agreement preventing both parent and child from discussing the show without CBS' permission until three years after Kid Nation goes off the air—that's after the series finale, not just the first cycle. And should they break any of the terms, parents risk losing their stipend and possible litigation.

Meanwhile, the children and parents CBS has given permission to be interviewed have all expressed enthusiasm for the show. They also said they had no complaints as far as safety went and felt very comfortable.

CBS is so confident Kid Nation will be a success it has reportedly given producers the go-ahead to begin casting for a second installment.

As for the state investigation, Sisneros said that any permit violations found to have occurred during filming would be handled by the appropriate agency—in Kid Nation's case, the New Mexico Children, Youth and Families Department and the Department of Workforce Solutions.