An Albany couple hoping to adopt a 3-year-old boy say they are not being considered even though they are the boy's relatives.

Jason and Rachael Park already have three children - two young boys and a 15-year-old girl who is not their biological daughter but of whom they are the legal guardians.

The Parks also provide day care for other children. Jason Park is an on-call substitute custodian for the Albany school district, and the couple work as newspaper carriers for the Democrat-Herald.

The family lives in a tidy apartment on 32nd Avenue Southeast, across the street from a park.

The 3-year-old boy has been living with his great-grandparents in Mapleton for most of his life. The boy's biological parents no longer have parental rights.

His great-grandparents, Harold and Verna Boggs, are Rachael Park's aunt and uncle, making the boy a distant relative.

Verna Boggs said she and her husband would like to see the Parks adopt the boy so that he can stay with his biological family.

"I don't think it's really fair to put him in a strange setup when he's used to all of us," Verna Boggs said. "I think it's going to be devastating moving him out of the family."

The adoption process is under way and the family has been told that another, unrelated family has been recommended but no final ruling by the courts has been made.

The Parks say they have been told that the Oregon Department of Human Services wants to keep biological families together.

Not speaking specifically about the Parks case, Greg Parker, a spokesman for DHS in Salem, said that biological relationship is only one of many factors taken under consideration when recommending an adoptive family.

Other factors include the child's safety, whether he's bonded with certain people, whether he has special needs and whether it's possible to keep him in the same school, church or neighborhood.

"We live in a world that likes to have things in black and white, but when it comes to placing children it becomes much more nuanced," Parker said. "Yes, biological family is important; however, there are some cases where a biological family for any number of reasons may not be appropriate."

The Parks would like to hear from anyone who might be able to offer them help or advice. They can be reached at 981-0258.