Handcuffed and arrested?
January 14, 2009
http://www.kxly.com/Global/story.asp?S=9669140
I am furious! I don’t know this family or this school. But, I am sorry. You do not handcuff and arrest an 8 year old girl with Asperger’s! What is wrong with our schools!!! How many times do I need to hear about a school restraining a young child with Asperger’s. When are the schools going to be punished for this type of abuse? It has to stop.
First of all, according to the story, she just wanted to wear her favorite cow sweatshirt. Big deal!
Second, why does the school not have the appropriate support services for this girl? If they had the appropriate support services, those qualified teachers/providers would be trained to know how to properly deal with this situation BEFORE it turns into an event where you have to restrain a child.
Third, who approved of this plan? Here is what the article states: “The plan, according to the district, says that “If a student assaults staff it is appropriate to call parents, involved support agencies, and local law enforcement officials if needed. All of the above occurred regarding this unfortunate incident.” Where is the plan that deals with what should have happened to the teachers when they restrained the girl for refusing to change her sweatshirt? When are we going to stop blaming kids with Autism or Asperger’s for behaving in ways that they think is appropriate? If someone is holding you down, you are going to do what you can to try to get away. When are we going to stop punishing these kids when the schools haven’t provided the necessary resources to the kids?
By the way, I have witnessed this restraint system that the public schools use. I have had MANY parents tell me this has happened to their child in the public schools. And many of these kids are now terrified to go to school, they end up being diagnosed with post traumatic stress disorder, and because of this, they lose all opportunity to succeed in school and in life. This makes me mad!
Ok - my next legislative fight will be - outlawing this type of behavior in the public schools and making sure the schools provide the resources that are legally owed to these kids. You have my word on this!
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