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As someone with an autistic child, it is still hard to tell what is going on. I don't even want to speculate, to be honest; but if the parent has an issue what is going on I still feel the best course of action would be to address it with the NISD administrators.
We did encounter a problem between our son and one of his aides, the woman was very impatient and physical in handling him and once my wife saw it, we reported it. I don't know whatever became of her but I do know she never handled our child again. It was no way to treat any child, much less a special needs one!
Our experiences with NISD and our son have been mainly positive, he is in middle school now and is doing well. We are very involved in his education and my wife does go by his class unannounced on occasion. Luckily we have not encountered a situation such as this but again I don't feel the news segment is going to result in this being fixed. If the school itself failed to correct the situation, then I would go directly to the district headquarters over on Evers Road and deal with the administration directly.
How many hours a day and how many days a week were they placing him in this room? The only thing that seems concerning to me, so far, is him falling off of the sink when he was supposed to be under supervision. I have never worked with autistic children, so I wouldn't know what's appropriate, but I'm curious because I have worked with special needs children who have had to be removed from the classroom temporarily.
The school decided this is where they would take my son whenever he has a "behavior" or is unable to focus on his work. Even though he is suppose to be taken to the CMC (a classroom designed when he's overstimulated or is having a hard time/not focused, etc.). My son has never done anything to hurt himself or anyone else. He has never been restrained or anything. Yes, he has had some outbursts in the class and had to be removed, but his individual education plan has in place where he goes and how things are handled if a situation like this arises. There are federal laws in place that state no child is placed in a secluded or isolated environment.
My son has been in this room between 1-3 hours per day since the beginning of the school year. I would not have a problem if this room was set up as a classroom and he was taking his assignments there to complete. My husband and I are very involved in both our kids education. And that's the real problem. They want us to just follow what ever they recommend, even though its not in the best interest for my son. We have had problems with the school for the last two years, but we have always tried to work with them and keep a good rapport. I have never been irate or rude, always very professional.
I went to NISD Administraton, even sent letters to everyone that sits on the board. The response I received back was in a letter from the Asst. Superintendent, who basically said he spoke with the principal about the situation and saw no problem because the outlets were covered! He failed to address the situation about him being isolated and since I had a meeting at the school, we could resolve it then. The meeting lasted four hours and there was nothing resolved. They said he could return to school and they would make sure the sink was covered in that room. So they plan to continue this, but my son has not been back to the school since I took the pictures. I asked the school for his textbooks and lessons to work with him at home and was told no.
Honestly, I do not want money from the school/district. I want them to understand they can't treat any child like this austistic or not. My son is entitled to a free and appropiate education under special educational laws. He has rights and I don't want this to happen to anyone else. It's our job as parents to protect our children. Others need to be informed. So I'm just putting it out there.
The school decided this is where they would take my son whenever he has a "behavior" or is unable to focus on his work. Even though he is suppose to be taken to the CMC (a classroom designed when he's overstimulated or is having a hard time/not focused, etc.). My son has never done anything to hurt himself or anyone else. He has never been restrained or anything. Yes, he has had some outbursts in the class and had to be removed, but his individual education plan has in place where he goes and how things are handled if a situation like this arises. There are federal laws in place that state no child is placed in a secluded or isolated environment.
My son has been in this room between 1-3 hours per day since the beginning of the school year. I would not have a problem if this room was set up as a classroom and he was taking his assignments there to complete. My husband and I are very involved in both our kids education. And that's the real problem. They want us to just follow what ever they recommend, even though its not in the best interest for my son. We have had problems with the school for the last two years, but we have always tried to work with them and keep a good rapport. I have never been irate or rude, always very professional.
I went to NISD Administraton, even sent letters to everyone that sits on the board. The response I received back was in a letter from the Asst. Superintendent, who basically said he spoke with the principal about the situation and saw no problem because the outlets were covered! He failed to address the situation about him being isolated and since I had a meeting at the school, we could resolve it then. The meeting lasted four hours and there was nothing resolved. They said he could return to school and they would make sure the sink was covered in that room. So they plan to continue this, but my son has not been back to the school since I took the pictures. I asked the school for his textbooks and lessons to work with him at home and was told no.
Honestly, I do not want money from the school/district. I want them to understand they can't treat any child like this austistic or not. My son is entitled to a free and appropiate education under special educational laws. He has rights and I don't want this to happen to anyone else. It's our job as parents to protect our children. Others need to be informed. So I'm just putting it out there.
Good for you, Diva! I pulled my daughter out of our district (Boerne) for just this kind of thing. Isolation rooms are backwater and should be banned in my opinion. They are wasting your son's education because they cannot think of a way to help him when he's overstimulated or unfocused?! Unacceptable. PM me if you want the name of a good advocate.
Many people (not all) think spec. ed is a drain on a school's resources and that the kids sometimes get too much. Sorry, but in my experience the bright kids with disabilities are warehoused or worse and never get the education they are entitled to by law. It seems like this is the last class of people it's acceptable to discriminate against. Ok, I'm off my soapbox but sorry to see it happening to other people.
I never witnessed this at NEISD. You might want to get the input of other schools districts on whether or not they think his school's behavior is appropriate. His doctor's input should be most important and NISD should listen to it. One to three hours a day is taking valuable time away from his education. Have they been leaving him alone in that room sometimes allowing him to climb on top of counters?
There is a federal law that disallows seclusion rooms? Maybe there should be but I do not think there is. They have tried passing one for a few years now. Here are the latest efforts:
It never made it out of the Senate last time even if the House passed it.
There are plenty of other school districts who do the same exact thing. It is a problem because schools are overburdened just teaching mainstream students as is. To provide special care for special needs children is asking for what is not there. This might not be an adequate solution but there might not be money for anything else.
The surefire way to solve this is remove your child and place them where they will receive the right care. It might cost but we cannot expect or demand more from our schools when the resources are not there. We can demand more from our government to insure they provide adequate resources.
Taking it out on teachers, principals, or the administration when they are doing all they can won't work. If the bill passes without providing the funds for more special needs education teachers and classrooms then it won't really work, will it? I certainly do not expect a teacher to ignore all the other kids to focus on just one.
There are plenty of other school districts who do the same exact thing. It is a problem because schools are overburdened just teaching mainstream students as is. To provide special care for special needs children is asking for what is not there. This might not be an adequate solution but there might not be money for anything else.
The surefire way to solve this is remove your child and place them where they will receive the right care. It might cost but we cannot expect or demand more from our schools when the resources are not there. We can demand more from our government to insure they provide adequate resources.
Taking it out on teachers, principals, or the administration when they are doing all they can won't work. If the bill passes without providing the funds for more special needs education teachers and classrooms then it won't really work, will it? I certainly do not expect a teacher to ignore all the other kids to focus on just one.
I like that you pointed that out and I definitely agree with you on that statement especially the last part. School districts widely accept it as a way to prevent a situation from becoming a much larger situation as it lowers the risk of other injury to another student or teacher within proximity of a child who has unpredictable behavior and it is never certain when he/she may have an outburst due their disability. Essentially, a school has the responsibility to ensure the safety and well being of not just one student but other students as well as the faculty and staff. It is not that the districts are being ignorant but rather taking action to stabilize the environment for the child, the students, and the teachers for their safety and the safety of those around them. However, the parent in this case does not approve of the action that has taken place because the room is empty and the child is not given the appropriate materials such as a desk, paper, pencil, or their assignments to continue their academics in a seclusive setting. While it is a valid point and while pictures were taken, there is not much you can take from them other than who's opinion matters and if there is a misunderstanding taking place on one end. I'm thinking there needs to be an ARD held immediately because it begets the question as to can the child even function with a pencil and paper while having an outburst? Can they focus and maintain focus during this episode? Does the child even want to finish their assignments on their own will? Could it be an escape tactic for the child to get pulled out of the classroom to avoid their assignment? Or should the faculty allow the child time calm down until he/she has shown coherent understanding of his surroundings and can then continue to receive their academics in an inclusive setting ? Those questions should be answered in an ARD and the district should have a plan in effect for this kind of situation. Something was missed in that last ARD as the parent stated the IEP includes procedures for these situations but that is only one side of the story. Essentially, it could all be a misunderstanding and the parents are going to need to come to terms with what they want for their child at the expense of their own if a resolution cannot be met and the district has provided what they could under IDEA and section 504. The parents do need to keep in mind that there has to be some regard to whether the child can even finish an assignment while having a tantrum or outburst and in this case the teachers and administrators felt the student needed some time to collect himself before he could continue and when that was accomplished he could then return to an inclusive setting/classroom to finish his academics in the appropriate learning environment. I am not taking sides but I don't see how the district is in the wrong. I'm sure the district wants whats best for the child.
I like that you pointed that out and I definitely agree with you on that statement especially the last part. School districts widely accept it as a way to prevent a situation from becoming a much larger situation as it lowers the risk of other injury to another student or teacher within proximity of a child who has unpredictable behavior and it is never certain when he/she may have an outburst due their disability. Essentially, a school has the responsibility to ensure the safety and well being of not just one student but other students as well as the faculty and staff. It is not that the districts are being ignorant but rather taking action to stabilize the environment for the child, the students, and the teachers for their safety and the safety of those around them. However, the parent in this case does not approve of the action that has taken place because the room is empty and the child is not given the appropriate materials such as a desk, paper, pencil, or their assignments to continue their academics in a seclusive setting. While it is a valid point and while pictures were taken, there is not much you can take from them other than who's opinion matters and if there is a misunderstanding taking place on one end. I'm thinking there needs to be an ARD held immediately because it begets the question as to can the child even function with a pencil and paper while having an outburst? Can they focus and maintain focus during this episode? Does the child even want to finish their assignments on their own will? Could it be an escape tactic for the child to get pulled out of the classroom to avoid their assignment? Or should the faculty allow the child time calm down until he/she has shown coherent understanding of his surroundings and can then continue to receive their academics in an inclusive setting ? Those questions should be answered in an ARD and the district should have a plan in effect for this kind of situation. Something was missed in that last ARD as the parent stated the IEP includes procedures for these situations but that is only one side of the story. Essentially, it could all be a misunderstanding and the parents are going to need to come to terms with what they want for their child at the expense of their own if a resolution cannot be met and the district has provided what they could under IDEA and section 504. The parents do need to keep in mind that there has to be some regard to whether the child can even finish an assignment while having a tantrum or outburst and in this case the teachers and administrators felt the student needed some time to collect himself before he could continue and when that was accomplished he could then return to an inclusive setting/classroom to finish his academics in the appropriate learning environment. I am not taking sides but I don't see how the district is in the wrong. I'm sure the district wants whats best for the child.
First of all, the school violated the child's IEP so they are wrong. When he needed to leave the classroom he was supposed to go to an academic center, not an empty room. He's spending 1-3 hours a week there! The reasons given, he is 'over-stimulated', or 'not focused'. Does that sound like an outburst? Secondly, the specter of 'injury to themselves or others' has been so misused against kids with disabilities it's not even funny. Research the topic and you will find most cases of restraint and seclusion are based on arbitrary decisions that have nothing to do with safety and mostly to do with either out-and-out discrimination or ignorance. Think districts want what's best for the child? Sometimes,but sadly that's not always the case.
WOAI has this story on tonight at 6:30 btw. I just saw the promo for it.
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