This is outrageous

[mstang67chic]

http://www.cnn.com/2008/US/12/17/seclusion.rooms/index.html

And people wonder why we fight for better training, education and treatment of our kids????

This quote towards the bottom of the article has my blood boiling.


"This is a program designed for students with severe emotional disabilities and problems," he said. "It is a program which frequently deals with students who use various methods of getting attention, avoiding work."


HELLO!!!!! The children have emotional and mental DISABILITIES! They don't WANT to be this way!



***Added after some research***
I found a website for this attorney's firm and plan on calling tomorrow during business hours to express my opinion on this so called educational attorney. If you would like the link, feel free to pm me. Mods, also feel free to delet this addition to the post if you think it's out of line. I'm horrified by the story but also angered by this attorney to the point that even if I get a temp receptionist, I feel I need to call and suggest more education on his part.

 

[klmno]

I read that, too. It's horrible. I know they use time out rooms in some of our local alternative schools- for kids in Special Education classes with "emotional disturbances" (which ALWAYS gets viewed as nothing but a behavioral problem by teachers around here). I was trying to find a link that might say what guidelines are in other states. Anyway, here, the rooms have impact resistant drywall on them. I guess it's more important to protect the wall than it is to protect the kid by putting padding up.

I thought time out rooms were used everywhere for these Special Education classes. What bothered me a lot about this article- other than the fact that the kid committed suicide, is that his diagnosis was adhd and depression. Well, his diagnosis might have been wrong, but I don't doubt that depression was involved. And I will never understand how anyone can honestly believe that disruptive behavior by a depressed person should be treated with (or can possibly be cured by) punishment. Especially punishment by ostracizing (sp).

 

[totoro]

I can't and shouldn't speak after reading things like this.

 

[susiestar]

This is just an abominable practice. My heart goes out to ALL the children who have been victimized by practices such as this.

I KNOW that our life with Wiz would have been much different if the school personnel had treated him differently.

somehow, some way, there must be a better protocol for handling children who are ill.

 

[slsh]

Mustang, when I read this this afternoon, the thing that really flipped me out was the atty saying the child was just voicing suicidal ideation to get attention. Are you kidding me? OMG - it's ridiculous and stupid and dangerous - and I think this really highlights why behavior plans are *so* important and we need to be vigilant.

I think if you live in a state that doesn't have specific rules regarding these kinds of seclusion, and there's a chance that your child will be placed in a "quiet room" or whatever they want to call them, that you include in the behavior plan that parent will be notified within X amt of time. IL law specifies 24 hours I believe, notification in writing, for use of restraint and/or seclusion.

Time out rooms were used in every Residential Treatment Center (RTC) thank you's ever been in - the last one was the very best set up because it insured that thank you was being monitored eyes-on. The only way the door could be locked was if a staff member was standing there holding a button *in* to lock it (magnetized lock), so there was no way thank you would be unsupervised in the room. Other safeguards were in place too, in terms of length of time, when a doctor would be called in to consult (30 minutes), etc.

How can people be so utterly care-less.