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. Once again been there, done that, 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

[Dogmudgeon]

2. Time was, you'd have been paddled senseless

"Time was" is also the current practice in Jesusland.

I was terrified of being "spanked" (i.e., beaten) in school. Which was like having the words "SPANK ME!" embroidered on the seat of my pants, because self-appointed disciplinarians are like hyenas, or vultures.

Things have changed a great deal -- and we still have a long, long way to go.

--d!

[jinto86]

3. I would have prefered a spanking

Over being in a cramped office for more then an hour at a time, I wasn't clostrophobic but when your already freaking out about what just happened and about what your missing now (school actually was important to me, and with math and science I wasn't so strong) and know your about to wet yourself if you don't get out now... that is enough to make anyone fell clostrophobic. Not to mention that left me alone with my thoughts, which at those times were always horrible and I helps to explain how I was suicidal by middle school (come to think of it... if not earlier). If the school psycatrist was involved it was generally good but with the principal and counselor it was ****.

P.S. I knew the spanking would come later, who cares when?

[jillan]

4. My special daughter was once tied to a chair and had peanut butter smeared on her face.

She hates peanut butter, that's why they did it.
Can you imagine how that must have felt? No, she wasn't in danger, but in my mind it was a form of torture.
And the thing is is that she doesn't have the ability to communicate these things to me. She probably had no clue
why they were even doing this to her in the first place.
Luckily another parent walked in to pick up her child when this happened. We saw to it that the teacher of that classroom got fired. Who knows what else went on in there.

It's heartbreaking. They are the most vulnerable among us. Especially the ones that can't communicate.

[Morning Dew]

5. OT complaint

It's on the lam, not on the lamb.

Frigging newspapers just get worse and worse with screwed up idioms and god-awful typos.

Grrrrrr.

Rant off.

:)

[earth mom]

6. This pisses me off and upsets me to the nth degree.

:grr:

:argh:

:cry: