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Hospital bed rails as restraints? Gimme a break. Patient SAFETY is #1. Decades ago my Mom in her 60's had surgery. In the Recovery Room the hospital did not use a bed rail. Mom rolled over, fell out of the bed, landed on her face, and broke her nose. I was told that I should have sued that hospital. A bed rail would have stopped that. Not a restraint in a situation like that.
The vast majority of Education Staff are wonderful, kind, caring, people, but there are exceptions; same as with the police. I worked 1:1 to a 4 year old disabled (physically and mentally) child in a wheelchair. He one time got very emotional in class, started screaming and crying. As I was about to wheel him out of class to calm him down, the teacher pushed me away and put Zane in the classroom restroom and shut the door. "He needs to learn his lesson and be quiet in class". I went to the door and took him out. Said to the teacher this is child abuse. It is MY job to care for him. He poses no physical threat to anyone in his wheelchair. I am reporting you to the Principal.
This was a Head Start Class. Federal Head Start Agents would come into the class unannounced to observe and inspect. Imagine if they had seen something like this? Not only would all staff in that room be cited but the SCHOOL as well. Think the Principal wanted to risk that? Inexperienced teacher who IMHO did not want to deal with special needs kids in her room.
While I do not have an Education Degree, I do in LAW. Under Penal Law what she did would be considered Unlawful Imprisonment even for an adult.
Again, don't blame everyone for a few bad apples. The majority of us in the field treated and cared for the children as if they were our own.
Look at Cochristie's son. He is restrained on a regular basis out of neccessity, and I'm sure there are parameters for that in his IEP plan. Parents know if their child is at a level of disability that he can be a danger to himself or others. Those behaviors and the steps to take when it occurs is fully discussed in each child's IEP meeting with the parents.
Exactly, thank you. I don't understand why this is so hard for people to understand. I currently have 10 formal "Restraint & Seclusion" reports from the last month at school sitting on my file cabinet. These notifications are required by law & they are extremely structured documents. The entire events are timed & sequenced & re-analyzed to adjust for more appropriate interventions. This one from 02/17/2022 reads like this (edited to be brief):
Quote:
(Page 1)To the parents of L.K.,
This letter serves as a follow up to the call you received on February 17, 2022 informing you of a restraint on that date due to behavior that created an emergency situation. As per state guidelines, we held a debriefing meeting attended by staff involved in the seclusion & other appropriate staff. Attached you will find a copy of the written debriefing notes related to the incident, with an explanation of your child's behavior & the interventions that have been put into place to help your child be more successful at school.
(Page 2)RESTRAINT & SECLUSION REPORT:
Student name, SASID#, date of incident, DOB, grade, School ...
Time RESTRAINT Began: 7:54 AM. Time RESTRAINT Ended: 8:01 AM
Staff Writing Report: Ms A. Staff administering restraint: Ms. A. Other staff present: Ms. AB, Ms. L, Mr. R, Ms. BU, Ms. B
Description of Restraint used: Two person restraint & Seclusion. Antecedent to behavior: L.K. got off the bus & began hitting staff.
Specific description of emergency situation: 7:52 AM, L.K. was directed to have safe hands. L.K. continued to hit staff. Ms. L & Mr. R used a 2 person CPI hold to transport L.K. into the building. The hold was released upon entering the recovery room. L.K. attempted to elope from the recovery room. 7:54 AM: Ms. A closed the door for safety beginning the seclusion. 7:57 AM: L.K. began hitting the window. 7:58 AM: L.K. was laying on the floor safely. Ms A opened the door, ending the seclusion. L.K. processed with Ms. B & then went to class.
(Page 3) RESTRAINT INCIDENT DEBRIEFING NOTES:
-All appropriate procedures were followed. Use of first/then, offered head squeezes & ice packs. A waiting protocol is in the process of being written (the trigger for the incident was that the bus arrived early & staff did not escort my son off the bus immediately & the protocol will be added to the IEP). Recommendations for adjustment of restraint procedures: None at this time.
Then follows several signatures, because this was a 1 student to 6 staff incident. People here seem to think these are isolated incidents with staff running around clutching their pearls, not knowing what to do & fighting for their lives. That's not how this works. Restraint & Seclusion is used every day on SPED students across the country. They are usually well regulated & documented events & they are very necessary. My son should absolutely not be allowed to plow through 6 staff, punching them & trying to break windows. I would be very upset if proper restraint was not used to keep my child safe.
Quote:
Originally Posted by 2mares
Why is it we constantly read headlines where teachers, even SPED teachers, are fired for restraining students?
They aren't fired for restraining SPED students properly; they are fired for improper restraint, or restraining students not identified as SPED. George Floyd style take downs are never appropriate.
Such as this event, where 3 teachers killed an autistic 13 year old for "spitting", by using an improper hold that caused him to aspirate & go into cardiac arrest.
Quote:
The lawsuit alleges two teachers, including Wohlwend, performed a takedown maneuver by holding Max’s hands behind his back, then dropping him to his knees and rolling him facedown. They restrained him on the floor, with Wohlwend holding the boy’s upper body while another teacher held his legs, according to the suit.
That's not an appropriate restraint either. Or this case:
Quote:
Autistic student, 21, dies after he was restrained by teachers at Texas special needs school that is also being investigated for video of six educators pinning fourth-grade girl to the ground
Xavier Hernandez, 21, died shortly after being restrained by employees at the Boulevard Heights school in Fort Worth on March 1
His cause of death has not been determined, but his family believes it is directly related to the restraining incident
Disability Rights Texas are investigating reports that the restraints used in Hernandez' case were improper and unnecessary
Just two months later, six employees at the same school were caught on video pinning down a fourth-grade student
Teachers are not fired or sued, if they engage proper restraint tactics. Just like this teacher of the 5 year old wouldn't have been hurt, if proper training was used. Proper training = Safe students & safe staff, period & it happens every day. Now, try restraining a non-disabled child & that's a totally different scenario.
Thank you both coschristie and ocnjgirl for your comments. Media likes sensational headlines. The general public needs to be educated on this topic.
Having worked with adults where take down restraints are legal, there is still a line which cannot be crossed. I fully agree with the George Floyd jury decision. A knee to the neck is not a legal take down measure.
They aren't fired for restraining SPED students properly; they are fired for improper restraint, or restraining students not identified as SPED. George Floyd style take downs are never appropriate.
Such as this event, where 3 teachers killed an autistic 13 year old for "spitting", by using an improper hold that caused him to aspirate & go into cardiac arrest.
Teachers are not fired or sued, if they engage proper restraint tactics. Just like this teacher of the 5 year old wouldn't have been hurt, if proper training was used. Proper training = Safe students & safe staff, period & it happens every day. Now, try restraining a non-disabled child & that's a totally different scenario.
In some cases, in other no.
Then the question, why are so many not restraining SPED students properly?
This is not only happening with sped students, its across the board.
Yes pretty much sacrifice the majority for the sake of the minority.
What ever did we do before 1990?
It really isn't a problem to other kids to have special ed classrooms in the school. They are pretty much self-contained in their own classroom if they have issues like this child. Since the boy in the thread title was in a classroom that had a "calm down" room, it was most likely a self-contained class for special ed kids with behavioral challenges.
I do agree though that lots of kids would be better off in another school. I had a sweet wheelcair-bound 8th grader with cerebral palsy and low intelligence who was in our middle school. The other kids were fine with him, but I don't think he got the best education he could have. Academics was a waste of time, he wasn't going to have any career or go to college. But in Special Services school, he would have learned basic self-care, how to dress himself, he could have been on the basketball team, had a girlfriend, etc. At the public school kids were nice to him but no one was really his friend or hung out with him.
A lot of parents of autistic kids believe their kids will model "normal" kids if they are around them. It doesn't work like that, but they are often adamant.
It really isn't a problem to other kids to have special ed classrooms in the school. They are pretty much self-contained in their own classroom if they have issues like this child. Since the boy in the thread title was in a classroom that had a "calm down" room, it was most likely a self-contained class for special ed kids with behavioral challenges.
I do agree though that lots of kids would be better off in another school. I had a sweet wheelcair-bound 8th grader with cerebral palsy and low intelligence who was in our middle school. The other kids were fine with him, but I don't think he got the best education he could have. Academics was a waste of time, he wasn't going to have any career or go to college. But in Special Services school, he would have learned basic self-care, how to dress himself, he could have been on the basketball team, had a girlfriend, etc. At the public school kids were nice to him but no one was really his friend or hung out with him.
A lot of parents of autistic kids believe their kids will model "normal" kids if they are around them. It doesn't work like that, but they are often adamant.
Keep in mind not all schools are created equal and as you stated funding/budget is always a problem, more so in low income more rural school districts.
I can see both sides of the issue. I think it really benefits many, maybe even most, SPED kids to be in as much of a normal school setting as possible even if academics is wasted on them. I know several families with special ed kids, some mild who did very well in school, other not at all. I also think often teachers are put in difficult if not impossible situations sometime and can be crucified by the public and thrown under the bus by the administration for just trying to do their job.
Overall IMO the schools are for those students (not specifically sped) who want to be in school, want an education and are willing and able to follow rules and not be a disruptive force in the system, and those who will not or can not should not be there. I also think its the job of the teachers to be free to teach and mentor, not have to control, force, restrain or fight the students.
Keep in mind not all schools are created equal and as you stated funding/budget is always a problem, more so in low income more rural school districts.
I can see both sides of the issue. I think it really benefits many, maybe even most, SPED kids to be in as much of a normal school setting as possible even if academics is wasted on them. I know several families with special ed kids, some mild who did very well in school, other not at all. I also think often teachers are put in difficult if not impossible situations sometime and can be crucified by the public and thrown under the bus by the administration for just trying to do their job.
Overall IMO the schools are for those students (not specifically sped) who want to be in school, want an education and are willing and able to follow rules and not be a disruptive force in the system, and those who will not or can not should not be there. I also think its the job of the teachers to be free to teach and mentor, not have to control, force, restrain or fight the students.
Ironically, school budgets are often less of a problem in low income areas, because residents tend to vote less and be much less vocal/involved. There are also more renters unaffected by property taxes. In the district I was in, a fairly suburban district, they'd fill the school auditorium to scream about the budget.
It really isn't a problem to other kids to have special ed classrooms in the school. They are pretty much self-contained in their own classroom if they have issues like this child. Since the boy in the thread title was in a classroom that had a "calm down" room, it was most likely a self-contained class for special ed kids with behavioral challenges.
I do agree though that lots of kids would be better off in another school. I had a sweet wheelcair-bound 8th grader with cerebral palsy and low intelligence who was in our middle school. The other kids were fine with him, but I don't think he got the best education he could have. Academics was a waste of time, he wasn't going to have any career or go to college. But in Special Services school, he would have learned basic self-care, how to dress himself, he could have been on the basketball team, had a girlfriend, etc. At the public school kids were nice to him but no one was really his friend or hung out with him.
A lot of parents of autistic kids believe their kids will model "normal" kids if they are around them. It doesn't work like that, but they are often adamant.
The 4 year old, who I posted about, had CP and was also DD. He was really sweet child and the other kids were fine with him. The problem with other kids was more at the middle and HS level with the special needs kids. What I saw it was the ATHLETES in the school who defended them. Pick on them and answer to ME for your bullying. That stopped a lot of the bullying. Want to go against a HS school foot ball player for attacking a special needs teen? Kuddos to their parents and coaches for instilling in them a need to protect the more vulnerable students.
The 4 year old, who I posted about, had CP and was also DD. He was really sweet child and the other kids were fine with him. The problem with other kids was more at the middle and HS level with the special needs kids. What I saw it was the ATHLETES in the school who defended them. Pick on them and answer to ME for your bullying. That stopped a lot of the bullying. Want to go against a HS school foot ball player for attacking a special needs teen? Kuddos to their parents and coaches for instilling in them a need to protect the more vulnerable students.
This is the 3rd time this same child caused this same teacher to be removed from the school by emergency responders.
It seems it's time for this to end, and other measures to be taken in the care of this child, that don't involve him ever being left alone with one adult, or in proximity to children.
I don't understand why the child is allowed to return to school - he's obviously a danger to other people. He should be in a special institution until he can be helped and (hopefully) rehabilitated so that he doesn't hurt anyone again. I feel sorry for the child; it's not his fault, he's very young; but he is a danger; what happens when he hurts other children or himself?
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