Taylor Frankie Paul's Exes Rip Her For Downplaying Juvenile Court

Taylor Frankie Paul's exes, Tate Paul and Dakota Mortensen, are ripping her for brushing off concerns that her children are "abused, neglected or dependent" ... and they say she's burying her head in the sand.

Tate and Dakota share the same lawyer, Chad Shattuck, and he's firing back after Taylor's legal team basically shrugged off the fact Utah's Division of Child and Family Services filed a petition asking a juvenile court ot take jurisdiction over her kids.

Shattuck tells TMZ ... Tate and Dakota "are deeply concerned that Taylor's statement minimizes the gravity of the action filed by DCFS and her many underlying actions that prompted such."

We first reported on the DCFS petition ... and Taylor's legal team said juvenile court was a "common step" for families.

Tate and Dakota beg to differ.

Their lawyer tells us ... "The petition filed by DCFS this week is not a routine transition to juvenile court or an opportunity for personal growth. DCFS has asked the Court to find that the children are abused and has requested an expedited hearing concerning their immediate protection."

He adds ... "Tate and Dakota are grateful that DCFS has taken these concerns seriously and is stepping in to protect the children. They share the serious concern that the family court system, law enforcement, prosecutors, and child-welfare agencies need meaningful coordination necessary to understand the situation and act in a manner most likely to protect the children. Serious warning signs went largely unaddressed for far too long, even after the passage of Om's Law."

As we told you ... the filing asks a judge to find the children meet Utah's legal definition of "abused, neglected or dependent" and to order protective supervision services, appoint a guardian ad litem to represent the children and issue any additional orders deemed to be in their best interests.

Tate and Dakota's lawyer says they "remain focused on protecting the children, giving them the time and space they need to heal, supporting meaningful accountability, and using what their families have experienced to help improve coordination between these systems in the future."

He concludes ... "Despite the myriad false accusations published online and on social media about them by Taylor and others, Tate and Dakota have chosen not to participate in the often misconstrued social media and other online activity surrounding their cases. They have remained silent to protect their children, not because they have nothing to say. When the time is right, they will tell their story in their own words in the appropriate forum."