Kids with special needs facing abuse at school: a troubling trend

[Left coast liberal]

The GAO report was prepared for the House Education and Labor Committee, which is considering new laws governing what actions teachers can take to rein in disruptive special-needs students.

"I think what we're going to hear from the GAO is that very often, special-need children are subjected to the policies of seclusion and policies of restraint that have turned out to be lethal in a number of circumstances," said Rep. George Miller, D-California, the committee's chairman.

In other cases, children as young as 6 have been locked away "for hours at a time," Miller said.

"What the GAO is telling us is that that policy is fairly widespread," he said. "The state regulations about how to handle these incidents don't exist in about half the states, and in other states you have kind of a patchwork of regulations."

If that report doesn't chill your blood enough then just simply reading the news will. A frequent parade of diabolical news stories about kids with special needs being abused in school continue to surface.

Fresh in mind is the frightening story of a Great Falls, MT middle schooler with autism who suffered repeatedly abuse and neglect by 2 aides at the school currently in the news. After a gargantuan effort including a court appointed restraining order, the parents have finally gotten the aides removed from the school. One is in custody and one is currently on the lamb. Even more concerning, apparently there was very little help offered by the school district and perhaps collusion as other school staff witnessed the abuse but never reported it. Eventually the parents were contacted by a previous teacher and told that their son was in danger and to take him out of the school.

http://www.examiner.com/x-19093-Seattle-Special-Needs-Kids-Examiner~y2009m10d21-Kids-with-special-needs-facing-abuse-at-school-a-troubling-trend

Holy cripes!

[jinto86]

1. Been there done that (not to that extreme but yea) not going back

I still remember spending an hour or more in the principals office alone when I was calm in 2 minutes (yea, leaving me alone at first made sense... not for more then an hour). Thank God I was just an aspie and had the functioning that nothing bad would have happened to me there (though I think once I wet myself a bit a few times because I was afraid to ask to go to the bathroom). /start sarcasim But wait... all public schools are great for special needs kids... yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa public schools! /end sarcasim

[obliviously]

2. Stutter posting a troubling trend a troubling trend.

[jinto86]

3. Uhhh... what?

[Left coast liberal]

4. God, it is just so sad.

What I really worry about is many of these kids are basically non-verbal. So, they are being abused and can't tell anyone and have to face them everyday.

Just horrible.

I liked this article because instead of dwelling on the all too heinousness of the "alleged" crime, she focuses on a bigger question, "Why is this happenening?"

Are we stressing our system so much that normally nice folks are resorting to torture and abuse on their most vulnerable charges?

Or are these predators that would be abusing anyway?

A good questions with not many answers in sight, unfortunately. But is sure doesn't bode well.

And, BTW - what is shutter posting?

:hi:

[tonysam]

5. There are phony "cases" out there, too. Let's be honest about it.

I am a "defendant" in one such frivolous lawsuit where a parent (or rather, the unscrupulous lawyer) claimed I and a colleague didn't report one of my students being allegedly "raped" twice in the school bathroom by a fellow classmate, both of whom were students of mine and were actually friends until they had some sort of falling out, and this student supposedly told us. Complete and total horseshit, but the local paper ran with the suit, including publishing both of our names, the name of the school, and the name of the principal. The media reports and the allegations in the suit were completely twisted, but hey, when the mom couldn't get anywhere filing a criminal complaint, it was time to shake down the school district's insurance company for a couple of hundred grand and hire an unethical lawyer in the process.

These filthy lawsuits are allowed to happen, but I believe any lawyer who takes a case KNOWING there is no real case should have his or her license suspended if not be disbarred.

By the way, I am refusing to cooperate with the district after its administrators wrongfully dismissed me, slandered me as a liar and mentally ill. They can go to fucking hell. Mom and her unscrupulous lawyer are going to clean up--big.

[jinto86]

7. Thats your defense... they are all lies..

Try telling that to Alex Barton's parents, I am sure they will take relief from it.

[tonysam]

8. No, they aren't all lies. But they aren't all true.

In fact, the vast majority of these suits are not. It is EASY to file a bullshit lawsuit knowing the school district's insurance company will pay piles of money out.

I am not responding to you anymore. I'll be goddamned if I am going to be accused of something that didn't happen.

[jinto86]

9. No doubt there are some lies

But that doesn't take away the fact that there are many cases of abuse of special needs students, and your basically just ignoring it saying they are all lies... so once again tell that to Alex Barton's parents.

[jinto86]

6. Even the verbal ones don't really talk about it

I think a lot of it leads down to highly underqualified people being in charge of these kids. To be a teachers aide you really only need a high school diploma in most areas, and you get underpayed for your work. Teachers only need 1 college course (which has to cover EVERY disability known to man) to learn about how to educate these kids. Administatrators are constantly fighting against services so they generally will only accept the least amount of services possible. Parents are put in an impossible situation at home, so its hard for them to really know how to fight for their kids at school, especcially if they are middle or lower class. So just a bad situation all around.

[alp227]

10. What's up with our government inhumanely treating "inferiors"?

Let's see. Torturing terror suspects in Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. And now this: Mistreating mentally challenged children because they think "they'll learn" when they really will NOT that way! Human rights extend to all humans, regardless of mental condition.

[jinto86]

11. Whats scarier is both sides are doing it

The military is generally quite right wing, the school system is generally quite left wing. Doesn't matter their party afflition, they both are willing to abuse...