FORT SCOTT, Kan. (AP) — The mother of a 22-month-old boy who drowned in a fish pond at his foster parents’ home says the child died because of neglect, despite a ruling from the state that his death was an accident.

Conner Hawes died Aug. 18 in the pond at a Fort Scott home. A sheriff’s report says his foster father was watching television while Conner and three other foster children were outside before the drowning.

The Kansas Department of Children and Families and the Bourbon County Sheriff’s office ruled the boy’s death an accidental drowning.

The boy’s mother, Beth Hawes, disputes the finding that the death was an accident.

According to published reports, the DCF considers the death an accident, the agency won’t disclose records on how Conner’s death was handled.