Lee's Summit R-7 School District: How Do They Sleep At Night?

Lee's Summit R-7 School District: How Do They Sleep At Night?



Tuesday, August 9, 2011

Sometimes I sit and relive the past four years. I think of all of the tears, anger, frustration, fear, anxiety, and hurt that my family has gone through. Then I think of all of the other families that are going through the same thing. Their lives being destroyed while they sit back and helplessly watch it happen.

One thing always comes to mind. How do the people that are paid with my tax dollars sleep at night? How can they destroy the life and future of another human being and then take their paycheck? How can they hug their children while they are destroying the lives of other children?

I was raised in the 60s and the 70s. My parents were strict and taught us to be honest, caring, and loving human beings. We were taught that you never progress in life without hard work, integrity, honor, and respect. You never hurt others or lie.

I wonder what the parents our of teachers, principals, superintendents, legislators, and school board officials taught their children. Would they be disgusted by the things that their children do to innocent children? Would they be dismayed that their children care about nothing more than self promotion and the almighty dollar? Would they be proud that their children are successful because they are robbing children of their future? My parents would disown me. They would not tolerate the behavior that I see every day.

I have been to many school meetings and sat across the table as these people have lied, cheated, and stolen my child's future. I have seen my legislator sell out my child to further his political career and then lie about it and call me a politcal stalker. I am powerless to stop them. They have all of the power and my hard earned tax dollars have bought it for them.

How many lives are going to be destroyed before this is stopped? How many people are willing to stand up for their children no matter what the consequences are? I am. I have been for four years. Its a lonely journey and I invite you to join me.

Autistic child's mom wants cameras in special needs classes

Autistic child's mom wants cameras in special needs classes

CLEVELAND -- Tara Heidinger wants cameras in all special needs classrooms in Ohio. She started this campaign when her son, Corey, came home with bruises on his arm.

"He said the teacher was mean to me," Heidinger said.

She says her son is autistic and the school believed he made it up. There was no proof of abuse, so that's when this mom decided cameras should be in Ohio special needs classrooms.

"I want more eyes and ears in these classes," says Heidinger.

She hopes legislation will be introduced in Ohio soon. She has a Facebook page and supporters all over the country and world.

Not everyone agrees.

The Ohio Education Association said this:

"Incidents of abuse are abhorrent, but rare. Current school district policies guard against such incidents and provide the means to correct any neglectful or abusive practices. The ramifications of mandating cameras in the classroom pose greater issues for student privacy than merely seeking to eliminate abuse."

Restraints, Seclusions Target Students With Autism, New Report Shows | Connecticut Health Investigative Team

Restraints, Seclusions Target Students With Autism, New Report Shows | Connecticut Health Investigative Team

Children with autism were the most frequently subjected to restraint or seclusion in Connecticut schools in the 2012-13 school year, according to a new state report that tallied more than 33,000 incidents of physical restraint or seclusion in public schools and private special education programs.

The report from the state Department of Education shows that autism was the primary disability among special education students subject to “emergency” restraint or seclusion, with 40.4 percent of all such incidents involving a child with autism. Autism also accounted for nearly half of all cases in which children were put in seclusion as part of their individualized education plans, or IEPs.

Jordan Harrison Graphic

The report shows a slight decline from the previous year in the overall number of students restrained or secluded, and a drop in reports of injuries – from 840 in 2011-12, to 378 last year. But the number of serious injuries rose from eight to 10, and more than 900 reported episodes of seclusion or restraint lasted more than an hour.

“This is just so disheartening,” said Shannon Knall of Simsbury, policy chair of the Connecticut chapter of Autism Speaks, an advocacy group. She blamed the high incidence of children being restrained and secluded on “a tremendous lack of training” of teachers and school staff in alternative interventions.

“The numbers of children with autism are skyrocketing, and I think our school districts are just overwhelmed,” she said. “The people on the front lines need training and tools” in alternative behavior management. “If you only give someone a hammer and a nail, that’s all they’re going to use.”

This is the second year that the state Department of Education has compiled data on restraints and seclusions submitted by schools. While the education department has no specific strategy to reduce those practices, the report says that the “continued examination” of the data will inform “technical assistance and trainings” that promote the use of positive interventions and reduce reliance on restraint and seclusion.

The release of the report comes as a coalition of eight state agencies, including the Office of the Child Advocate and Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, begins a public education campaign to reduce the unnecessary use of restraints and seclusion in schools. The education department is a partner in that effort.

Sarah Eagan, the state’s child advocate, said the new report illustrates that the use of physical restraint and seclusion is still common in schools, especially among young children with developmental disabilities. About half of all the 2012-13 incidents involved special education students in grades five and below, with about 180 incidents involving children in kindergarten and pre-K.

“What this highlights is that ultimately, the practices are widespread,” Eagan said. “What we have to remember is that the use of restraints and seclusion [for behavior management] has no research to support it. We’re really going to have to support schools and teachers with resources and tools so they can find a better way” to de-escalate problem behaviors.

A seclusion room for children with emotional/behavioral problems.

Connecticut state law allows for the use of restraints and seclusion in emergencies that pose imminent danger to a student or others. It also allows for special education students to be put in seclusion if their IEPs provide for such measures – a provision that some child advocates say is overly broad.

Schools reported that the majority of restraints and seclusions – 71 percent -- were in response to emergency risk of harm, with the remaining 7,741 seclusions done in accordance with an IEP. In many cases, individual children were restrained and secluded multiple times throughout the year. Forty students were physically restrained or secluded more than 100 times -- and 11 of them were subject to those practices 300 to 900 times during the year, the report shows.

Eagan noted that the U.S. Department of Education issued a “resource document” to schools in 2012 that discourages the use of physical restraints or seclusion except in extreme situations where a child’s behavior poses imminent danger of serious harm to self or others. But there is no federal law restricting the practices.

Data in the new state report shows the majority of restraints and seclusions lasted 20 minutes or less. However, 30 emergency restraints and 119 seclusions lasted more than two hours.

Farm Hill Elementary School

Reporting by individual school districts and programs varied widely, with some smaller programs reporting hundreds of incidents, and some large districts reporting a handful. Hartford schools reported no incidents, Bridgeport reported 28, and New Haven reported 54.

Education department officials said they were following up with districts that reported very low numbers.

Eagan said that, on the flip side, some programs may be diligently reporting “every time they put hands on a student,” boosting their numbers.

Among districts reporting the highest number of restraints and seclusions were: East Hartford, with 1,644 cases involving 165 special education students; Darien, with 895 incidents involving 10 students; Vernon, with 357 incidents involving 24 students; and Windsor, with 298 incidents involving 19 students.

High numbers were reported by many state-approved private special education programs and regional education centers, including: CREC, with 3,860 cases involving 89 students; Benhaven School in Wallingford, which serves children with autism, with 2,162 incidents involving 30 students; and the Connecticut Center for Child Development in Milford, which also specializes in autism, with 3,183 cases involving 35 students.

The co-chairs of the legislature’s Committee on Children, Sen. Dante Bartolomeo and Rep. Diana Urban, both expressed concerns about the unnecessary use of restraints and seclusion at a recent forum on the issue convened by the Office of the Child Advocate and the Office of Protection and Advocacy. Last year, leaders of those two agencies called for an end to the use of restraints and seclusion as behavioral interventions in schools, as they investigated the controversial use of “scream rooms” at the Farm Hill Elementary School in Middletown.

The report indicates that black and Hispanic children are more likely to be restrained and secluded than white students. Fifty-seven percent of students who were restrained or secluded were members of minority groups, while the majority of special education students statewide are white.

Read the full report below.

Restraints, seclusions target Connecticut students with autism

Restraints, seclusions target Connecticut students with autism

Children with autism were the most frequently subjected to restraint or seclusion in Connecticut schools in the 2012-13 school year, according to a new state report that tallied more than 33,000 incidents of physical restraint or seclusion in public schools and private special education programs.

The report from the state Department of Education shows that autism was the primary disability among special education students subject to “emergency” restraint or seclusion, with 40.4 percent of all such incidents involving a child with autism. Autism also accounted for nearly half of all cases in which children were put in seclusion as part of their individualized education plans, or IEPs.

The report shows a slight decline from the previous year in the overall number of students restrained or secluded, and a drop in reports of injuries — from 840 in 2011-12 to 378 last year. But the number of serious injuries rose from eight to 10, and more than 900 reported episodes of seclusion or restraint lasted more than an hour.

“This is just so disheartening,” said Shannon Knall of Simsbury, policy chair of the Connecticut chapter of Autism Speaks, an advocacy group. She blamed the high incidence of children being restrained and secluded on “a tremendous lack of training” of teachers and school staff in alternative interventions.

“The numbers of children with autism are skyrocketing, and I think our school districts are just overwhelmed,” she said. “The people on the front lines need training and tools” in alternative behavior management. “If you only give someone a hammer and a nail, that’s all they’re going to use.”

This is the second year that the state Department of Education has compiled data on restraints and seclusions submitted by schools. While the education department has no specific strategy to reduce those practices, the report says that the “continued examination” of the data will inform “technical assistance and trainings” that promote the use of positive interventions and reduce reliance on restraint and seclusion.

The release of the report comes as a coalition of eight state agencies, including the Office of the Child Advocate and Office of Protection and Advocacy for Persons with Disabilities, begins a public education campaign to reduce the unnecessary use of restraints and seclusion in schools. The Department of Education is a partner in that effort.

Sarah Eagan, the state’s child advocate, said the new report illustrates that the use of physical restraint and seclusion is still common in schools, especially among young children with developmental disabilities. About half of all the 2012-13 incidents involved special education students in grades five and below, with about 180 incidents involving children in kindergarten and pre-K.

“What this highlights is that ultimately, the practices are widespread,” Eagan said. “What we have to remember is that the use of restraints and seclusion (for behavior management) has no research to support it. We’re really going to have to support schools and teachers with resources and tools so they can find a better way” to de-escalate problem behaviors.

Connecticut state law allows for the use of restraints and seclusion in emergencies that pose imminent danger to a student or others. It also allows for special education students to be put in seclusion if their IEPs provide for such measures — a provision that some child advocates say is overly broad.

Schools reported that the majority of restraints and seclusions — 71 percent — were in response to emergency risk of harm, with the remaining 7,741 seclusions done in accordance with an IEP. In many cases, individual children were restrained and secluded multiple times throughout the year. Forty students were physically restrained or secluded more than 100 times — and 11 of them were subject to those practices 300 to 900 times during the year, the report shows.

Eagan noted that the U.S. Department of Education issued a “resource document” to schools in 2012 that discourages the use of physical restraints or seclusion except in extreme situations where a child’s behavior poses imminent danger of serious harm to self or others. But there is no federal law restricting the practices.

Data in the new state report shows the majority of restraints and seclusions lasted 20 minutes or less. However, 30 emergency restraints and 119 seclusions lasted more than two hours.

Reporting by individual school districts and programs varied widely, with some smaller programs reporting hundreds of incidents, and some large districts reporting a handful. Hartford schools reported no incidents, Bridgeport reported 28, and New Haven reported 54.

Education department officials said they were following up with districts that reported very low numbers.

Eagan said that, on the flip side, some programs may be diligently reporting “every time they put hands on a student,” boosting their numbers.

Among districts reporting the highest number of restraints and seclusions were: East Hartford, with 1,644 cases involving 165 special education students; Darien, with 895 incidents involving 10 students; Vernon, with 357 incidents involving 24 students; and Windsor, with 298 incidents involving 19 students.

High numbers were reported by many state-approved private special education programs and regional education centers, including: CREC, with 3,860 cases involving 89 students; Benhaven School in Wallingford, which serves children with autism, with 2,162 incidents involving 30 students; and the Connecticut Center for Child Development in Milford, which also specializes in autism, with 3,183 cases involving 35 students.

The co-chairs of the legislature’s Committee on Children, Sen. Dante Bartolomeo and Rep. Diana Urban, both expressed concerns about the unnecessary use of restraints and seclusion at a recent forum on the issue convened by the Office of the Child Advocate and the Office of Protection and Advocacy. Last year, leaders of those two agencies called for an end to the use of restraints and seclusion as behavioral interventions in schools, as they investigated the controversial use of “scream rooms” at the Farm Hill Elementary School in Middletown. The report indicates that black and Hispanic children are more likely to be restrained and secluded than white students. Fifty-seven percent of students who were restrained or secluded were members of minority groups, while the majority of special education students statewide are white.

This story was reported under a partnership with the Connecticut Health I-Team (www.c-hit.org).

Eccentricities and Introspection

Eccentricities and Introspection

"I don't want to break his spirit"

Throughout the years others have tried though... I watched his smile fade as he encountered ignorance and lack of acceptance (specifically in school). I remember looking at this brown headed blue-eyed cutie and thinking "Why can't they just see what I do?"

 I have watched that smile return the past 2 years and his spark reignite as we found a place for him in the world where others  DID see him the way I did. A place where he is accepted and respected.

It wasn't about changing him to fit the world, it was more about changing the world around him to fit what he needed.

Mo. Senate confirms two appointments to state Board of Education after debating definition of 'layperson'

Mo. Senate confirms two appointments to state Board of Education after debating definition of 'layperson'



I applied for the open position in my area. I guess I didn't have enough experience working for the system. I guess I am the lay person that they didn't need.



JEFFERSON CITY • Five Missouri Senators huddled around a dictionary in the Senate Chamber this morning, page open to the word "layperson."



It was one several dictionaries floating around the chamber today as Senators debated the definition of a "layperson" for more than two hours.



The topic was brought up by Sen. Rob Schaaf, R-St. Joseph, as the Senate examined two gubernatorial appointments for the state Board of Education -- who were later confirmed.



Schaaf said, according to law, that board should consist of eight lay members appointed by the governor.



Schaaf did not think the two appointees -- Republican O. Victor Lenz, Jr. and Democrat John A. Martin -- met the definition of a layperson because they had too much experience in the education field.



Lenz is the current president of the St. Louis Area Curriculum Coordinators Association and former president of the Lindbergh School District Board of Education. He also was that district's assistant superintendent of curriculum and instruction.



Martin is a board member for the Missouri Center for Safe Schools and former superintendent of the Grandview School District. He also was the former interim superintendent of the Kansas City School District.



"We need to have lay people who are not conflicted by a lifetime of experience in the education community," Schaaf said.



While some senators agreed with Schaaf's sentiments, others felt the experience of the two appointees is important to address the tough questions related to education.



"This board needs people who know the ropes a little bit, but are willing to ask tough questions," Sen. Eric Schmitt, R-Glendale, said.



Sen. Maria Chappelle-Nadal, D-University City, said, in particular, she supported Lenz's appointment, despite her initial hesitations.



"I started my conversation (with Lenz) saying, 'I plan to kill your appointment,' " Chappelle-Nadal said. "I said at the end of the conversation, 'You have impressed me more than any other (appointee).' He has the ability to be intelligent on issues and think independently of others."



Lenz will begin serving on the board immediately. His term will end July 1, 2019. Martin's term will end July 1.



The Senate confirmed 18 other appointments today, including Richard Fordyce as director of the Agriculture Department and Mike Downing to head the Economic Development Department.



Alex Stuckey covers Missouri politics and state government for the Post-Dispatch. Follow her on Twitter at @alexdstuckey.

Miss. schools still use seclusion, restraint on special education students | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com

Miss. schools still use seclusion, restraint on special education students | The Clarion-Ledger | clarionledger.com

Use of seclusion and restraint on disabled children is common among Mississippi schools despite warnings by the nation’s education chief of the potential dangers and lack of evidence of their effectiveness.

At least 30 school districts use physical restraint, mechanical restraint or seclusion — or a combination of all three — on children with disabilities, according to data from the U.S. Department of Education Office for Civil Rights.

In the 2009-2010 school year, for which the most recent statistics were available, 329 such incidents were reported.

Districts that most frequently reported using restraint and seclusion are located on the Gulf Coast: Harrison County logged 74 incidents, Moss Point and Jackson County had 46 each, and Gulfport had 36.

The Jackson Public School District, which in 2011 was sued by the Southern Poverty Law Center for chaining a teen with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder to a pole, had two reported incidents that year.

JPS settled the suit one year later by agreeing to no longer engage in that practice.

“As many reports have documented, the use of restraint and seclusion can have very serious consequences, including, most tragically, death,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan in a letter to school districts urging them to review their policies on the practices.

“Furthermore,” Duncan said, “there continues to be no evidence that using restraint or seclusion is effective in reducing the occurrence of the problem behaviors that frequently precipitate the use of such techniques.”

Mississippi is one of 13 states without a law addressing seclusion and restraint, according to the federal agency, but a bill introduced in January by state Sen. Gray Tollison, R-Oxford, seeks to change that.

The Mississippi Student Safety Act, or SB 2594, calls for standards that would prohibit certain punishments and define when it’s acceptable to use others.

It also would collect and analyze data from the districts in an effort to reduce seclusion and restraint.