Children too good for public school

A dear friend of mine has, in the past, experienced a disdainful attitude among relatives who either don't understand or don't agree with her decision to homeschool her children.

"They think I think my kids are too good for public school," she said ruefully.

Maybe they are. And maybe the ones who are really too good are those who are so completely vulnerable that they cannot fend off whoever tries to torment them.

A group of Pennsylvania parents who sued on behalf of their children with autism have agreed to settle for $5 million in a case involving a Scranton-area elementary special education teacher. It's the fifth largest award of its kind in the country and it sends a powerful message if only school districts everywhere will sit up and pay attention.

The parents alleged their children, who ranged in age from 5 to 11 at the time and who are all non-verbal, were beaten, bound with duct-tape, and tied to chairs with bungee cords. Additional abuse allegations included children being slapped or dragged by their hair and having their insoles stomped upon by their teacher.

Beaten
Bound with duct tape
Tied to chairs with bungee cords
Slapped
Dragged by hair
Insoles stomped

The attorney for some of the families is quoted in the May 29 Philadelphia Inquirer saying of the parents, "They were sending their children to a virtual torture chamber for two years."

Rita Shreffler, executive director of the National Autism Association, said although she wasn't familiar with the Scranton case, she was sure that duct tape and bungee cords were never appropriate.

Shreffler also said cases of overrestraint in schools are surfacing with greater frequency nationwide. "It amounts to torture," she said. "These kids are being tortured."

The teacher was put on probation and subsequently elected to retire.

The only thing worse than being attacked and abused as a child is not having a voice to cry out for help.

Lest you think this was an isolated incident -- and this 'blog posting is in no way meant to malign the many excellent and dedicated special education teachers in the field -- the following list should serve to educate you to very real and ongoing problem of schools ill equipped and teachers poorly trained to handle the many variations of autism presented to them:

Akron, Ohio in 2009: Akron, Ohio school leaders placed a school aide with a troubled past on paid leave following allegations that he dragged a child with severe disabilities through a hallway by his ankles. The student, who suffers from severe autism, cannot speak and functions at the level of a toddler, according to his mother. He fell to the hallway floor Jan. 14, and that's when the aide, 50, allegedly dragged him by his ankles 50-100 feet back to his classroom.
Wake County, NC in 2008 -- A disability rights group says Wake County, NC school resource officers at Carroll Middle School handcuffed autistic students to restrain them while in class.

According to the lawsuit, students claim they were encouraged to wrestle each other to "let out their aggression."

The lawsuit was brought by a watchdog group for persons with disabilities.

The group simply wants the names of special needs students and parents so it can investigate the allegations, but says Wake County schools won't provide that confidential information.

In New Britain, Conn. in 2008: "This was putting children in a closet in the dark, holding them in the closet, holding the door, not letting them out," said spokeswoman for the alleged victims' families, Lisa Nkonoki. "Waterboarding if you will -- taking the child, putting water up their nostrils and face so they couldn't breath."Nkonoki said that the teacher also strapped the children to chairs and yelled in their ears.The spokesperson said that the allegations were substantiated by the Department of Children and Families, but that the district never notified the families about the allegations."I'm angry at the school. I'm angry at the system," said parent Arelis Kinard.
From Jackson, MS in 2009: The family of an autistic boy told WAPT that he was abused at school and they want someone held accountable.“We noticed bruising by his left eye socket down on his cheekbone and scratches on his neck,” Bill Wilkinson said of his son Samuel.Wilkinson said Samuel was held down and beaten by teachers after the boy had a tantrum.
From Port St. Lucie, FL in 2008: There is a pattern of abuse, neglect and humiliation.That's what more than 100 parents of autistic children in Florida are telling the state attorney general's office and anyone who will listen.The parents and others claim children with autism are being mistreated.