ELDORADO, Texas – Jubilation among members of a polygamist sect gave way to wariness Monday as parents complied with a judge's terms for regaining their children while a sect spokesman angrily accused the state of being duped by his group's enemies.

Parents on Monday collected 129 out of the 440 sect youngsters in state custody amid tearful reunions at children's shelters and group foster homes across Texas.

ERIC GAY/AP

Nancy Dockstader, a polygamist sect member, retrieved her daughter Amy, 9, from a youth home near Luling, Texas, on Monday..

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It was unclear, though, whether sect parents will cooperate with Child Protective Services workers as directed by state District Judge Barbara Walther. The judge, though forced by the Texas Supreme Court to release the children, continued to insist that the sect open up to CPS and that its parents take parenting classes.

The sect and CPS remain deeply suspicious of one another, though they made conciliatory gestures as the nation's largest-ever child-welfare removal case entered a new phase.

Willie Jessop, an elder in the Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints, said the church will no longer sanction the marriage of any female under the age of legal consent in the state where she lives.

He said the church will counsel families not to request or consent to underage marriages.

"In the FLDS church, all marriages are consensual," Mr. Jessop said. Earlier, CPS said young sect girls had been forced into "spiritual marriages" with older men.

"We hope that this modest clarification in policy will alleviate recent concerns and allow the church and its families to reside in peace among our neighbors," he said.

CPS spokeswoman Marleigh Meisner said her agency would fully comply with the higher court decision rebuking Judge Walther for keeping sect children in state custody despite what it called only scant evidence of sexual abuse of girls and other child mistreatment. CPS removed the youngsters after raiding the group's West Texas ranch in early April .

"We have respect for these families," Ms. Meisner said.

In Fort Worth, sect parent Jennetta Jessop began a trek across the state to pick up her five children placed in foster care.

"This is the happiest day of my life. It's hard to express," Ms. Jessop said as she collected her 5-year-old son at a shelter run by Catholic Charities of Tarrant County. "It's been like a nightmare."

By day's end, only three parents had arrived at the Fort Worth shelter, which has been caring for 31 sect children. Fort Worth police and Catholic Charities workers put up a large banner to block news photographers from taking pictures of the children.

Nancy Dockstader, chin quivering and eyes filled with tears, embraced her 9-year-old daughter, Amy, outside a youth shelter near Luling, about 65 miles east of San Antonio.

"It's just a great day," said Ms. Dockstader, clad in a teal prairie dress, as was Amy. Ms. Dockstader said she was headed with her husband, James, to Corpus Christi and Amarillo to pick up their other four children. "We're so grateful," she said.

Mr. Jessop, the sect elder and spokesman, said some families may return to the ranch but probably not all. Many of the parents have purchased or rented homes in Amarillo, San Antonio and other places around the state.

Mr. Jessop was asked if the FLDS and state child welfare workers could cooperate, given that they've accused one another of bad faith and misconduct in the past eight weeks.

"I believe there are people [at CPS] who acted in good faith," he said.

However, while saying the sect will "follow our savior's example and forgive," he said top CPS officials listened to misinformation and lies by former sect members.

"We call upon the Texas government, do not get caught up in the vindictive agendas of other people who have no regard for the truth," he said.

The CPS' Ms. Meisner, asked if the state is worried that sect parents might flee the state or otherwise thwart caseworkers' attempts to check on children, said, "I really hope they'll be cooperative. Certainly, we have concerns regarding these children, and that's why our investigation continues."

Judge Walther's order warned parents not to interfere with CPS' continuing investigations. She said they can't take children across state lines without her permission and must take parenting classes.

Several lawyers for sect children and parents said CPS will have to earn the families' trust, one by one.

"The families that have no abuse issues need to be freed quickly" from CPS scrutiny, said Dallas lawyer Susan Hays, who represents a 2-year-old sect girl.

"Make that a priority and focus on the cases with real abuse issues."

Kevin Dietz of Texas Rio Grande Legal Aid, which represents 38 sect mothers, said "it's an open question" whether relations between the families and CPS will improve.

"Hopefully, now the department will really start looking at these families as individual family units," he said.

Lawyers for sect mothers say they fear that the mandated parenting classes will be conducted – or at least partially devised – by leaders of groups who try to rescue FLDS girls. Some are former sect members who consulted with CPS early in its investigation and advised the agency on what to demand of the parents before they could regain their children.

Mr. Jessop said that if the parenting classes "are anti-FLDS, then I think it's very inappropriate."

CPS spokesman Patrick Crimmins pointed out that Judge Walther's order, "which we will follow, says 'standard parenting classes.' We don't have reason to believe they won't be standard. ... There's also a provision in this order that if there are any issues as to who's conducting the classes, those issues can be negotiated."

In her order, Judge Walther also said CPS workers may take children away from the Yearning for Zion Ranch in Eldorado for interviews if needed.

She put no time limit on either CPS' investigation or her order that the children not be removed from Texas.

The judge made three concessions to parents from a sterner version she'd drafted during a tumultuous pretrial conference Friday afternoon:

CPS workers may make unannounced visits to the children's residences only between 8 a.m. and 8 p.m.

An in-state travel limit for the children is expanded from 60 miles from their residences to 100 miles. Parents have to give CPS two days' notice before going farther. And they have to give seven days' notice before moving to a new residence.

A provision was dropped that let CPS order parents to submit to psychological evaluations, though the state may administer them to children.

"There's many things we object to in the order," said Mr. Jessop, who said it places demands on hundreds of parents who haven't done anything wrong.

But he added, "We obviously will comply with it and keep within the state of Texas."

Staff Writer Debra Dennis in Fort Worth and The Associated Press contributed to this report.