A Maryland couple investigated for neglect after they let their two young children walk home alone from local parks have been cleared in one of two such cases, according to the family’s attorneys and documents.

The new Child Protective Services finding, which follows an appeal, comes as the experiences of “free range” parents Danielle and Alexander Meitiv have drawn national attention, sparking debate about parenting choices and how far local officials should go to enforce laws designed to protect children.

It overturns a previous CPS decision that held the Meitivs responsible for “unsubstantiated” child neglect, a finding typically made when there is conflicting or insufficient information for a more definitive conclusion.

The change came as a welcome surprise to the Meitivs, who were informed in letters they received May 18 that neglect was “ruled out” in the case, which dates to their children’s December walk from Woodside Park.

“It was an enormous relief and vindication,” Danielle Meitiv said in a Washington Post interview, the family’s first in six weeks. “Of course there’s no neglect here. There never was. There was never even a hint of it.”

The CPS letter gave no additional explanation, leaving open the question of whether CPS has changed its approach more broadly toward children walking or playing on their own outdoors, or simply made a narrow decision related to one case.

Montgomery County human services officials, reached on Monday, referred calls to the state Department of Human Resources. State officials did not respond to calls or emails on the holiday. County Executive Isiah Leggett, Democrat, also could not be reached for comment.

“What we’re hoping this means is that they recognize we never should have been on their radar,” Danielle Meitiv said. “Nothing we have done should have triggered an investigation.”

The new development does not end the family’s troubles.

The Meitivs are still under investigation by CPS for neglect related to their children’s walk home April 12 from a different park in Silver Spring. The Meitiv children – Rafi, 10, and Dvora, 6 – were held by police and CPS for more than five hours that day.

The Meitivs hope the recent CPS decision suggests they soon will be cleared in the April case. They expect a finding from CPS in coming weeks.

“We’re hopeful it will be resolved in the same way,” Danielle Meitiv said. “The facts of the two are the same. They’re the same kids, we’re the same parents. They were walking in the same neighborhood ... Neither case is neglect so we’re hopeful that CPS will just see that and move on.”

Danielle Meitiv said she stopped giving interviews April 13, both at the advice of lawyers and because the most recent experience became upsetting to talk about.

She said she’s speaking out now in hopes the new ruling may assuage the fears of other parents who want to let their children venture outdoors to walk or play, but are worried about CPS involvement.

“It’s also really good news,” she said.

The Meitivs advocate free-range parenting, which encourages independence and exploration. The term was first coined in 2008 by New York journalist Lenore Skenazy, who developed a following for pushing back against what many saw as a hypervigilant “helicopter parent” culture.

The Meitivs have been investigated three times since October. In the first incident, their children were playing together at a park about a block from their house. In the second, the siblings were picked up by police Dec. 20 as they made their way home from Woodside Park, about a mile from where they live.

After the most recent case, in April, when their children walked home alone from Ellsworth Park in Silver Spring, several elected officials raised questions about CPS or police practices.

Maryland Gov. Larry Hogan, Republican, asked the state Department of Human Resources in April to conduct a “thorough investigation of the incident and of the policies involved to determine what changes might be needed,” according to a statement from a spokeswoman.

It was not clear whether Hogan’s request influenced the new finding in the Meitiv case.

State and county CPS officials have said in the past that they could not comment specifically about the Meitiv case because of confidentiality rules, but that generally child neglect investigations focus on a failure to provide proper care and supervision.

County officials also have said that CPS could look for guidance to a state law on unattended children that says children younger than 8 must be with a reliable person who is at least 13. The law mentions buildings, vehicles and enclosed spaces; it does not mention children playing outdoors or on a walk.

The Meitivs’ attorneys said in April that they planned to sue on the family’s behalf. On Monday, attorney Matthew Dowd said the plan has not changed.

“We’re continuing to press forward on a possible civil action to ensure that this response from CPS and the police doesn’t occur again,” he said.

Dowd said he sees the new CPS decision as affirmation that “legally and factually” the Meitivs were never responsible for child neglect “in any form.”

Still, he said, it is hard to know whether the new decision reflects only on the Meitiv case or on a shift in CPS’s approach. “Either one is possible,” he said. “We don’t know. And then the question is: What if the Meitivs’ children walk home from the park next week? Will CPS open a new investigation again?”

The Meitivs are hoping for broader changes in policy and practice.

“We hope this is heralding some sort of change and acknowledgment that kids walking in their own neighborhood, in broad daylight, is not neglect,” Danielle said.

Alexander Meitiv emphasized the importance of clarity.

“Our goal is to get to a place where this doesn’t happen to us or anybody else in the future,” he said.

Danielle Meitiv said the family has struggled since the April 12 incident, which left both children scared of police. She said that while her son was in custody, he thought he might never see his parents again and that he would be taken to an orphanage.

The Meitivs complied with a CPS “safety plan” that required the children to always be supervised, but that plan is no longer in effect, they say. The children have played on their own near home, but they have not been walking to parks farther away.

Still, the siblings are looking forward to walking to a library that is opening in June about six blocks from their Silver Spring home, their mother said. “The kids enjoy exploring their own neighborhood independently,” she said. “It’s another fun place to visit.”