What follows is a letter we sent to Frederick County Public Schools’ Board of Education on December 12th, 2021.
President Young, Vice-President Johnson, and members of the Board of Education,
I am writing to you today on behalf of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR), as well as the children and families of Frederick County Public Schools. AASR is a Maryland nonprofit corporation operating through a fiscal sponsorship with Players Philanthropy Fund. We are a community of over 16,000 parents, self-advocates, teachers, school administrators, paraprofessionals, attorneys, related service providers, and others working together to influence change in the way we support children who may exhibit behaviors of concern. The mission of AASR is to educate the public and to connect people who are dedicated to changing minds, laws, policies, and practices so that restraint, seclusion, suspension, expulsion, corporal punishment, and other harmful practices are eliminated from schools across the nation and beyond. Our vision is safer schools for students, teachers, and staff.
It seems that the members of the Frederick County Board of Education were surprised by the recent settlement agreement with the Department of Justice related to the excessive use of restraint and seclusion in Fredrick County Public Schools. Unfortunately, we were not surprised at AASR. You see, I started AASR about three years ago after my son was illegally restrained, secluded, and traumatized in a Calvert County, Maryland Public School. I began to advocate for change in Calvert County after I realized Calvert County had one of the highest rates of restraint and seclusion usage in the State of Maryland when viewed by enrollment. In fact, Calvert County and Frederick County had the highest rates of restraint and seclusion in the 2017/28 Restraint and Seclusion Data Collection; Findings, and Recommendations report that the Maryland State Department of Education produced and sent to the General Assembly as required by Senate Bill 786.
In early 2019 I began working with the Calvert County Superintendent and the Board of Education. The Superintendent formed a Restraint and Seclusion Committee, which included parents, teachers, and administrators. Ultimately in Calvert County members of the Board of Education supported efforts to change the policy and practice around the use of restraint and seclusion. While it was not an easy process the county was responsive and took ownership of the issue. The policy today prohibits seclusion and has greatly reduced the use of restraint. Why didn’t this happen in Frederick County? Why was a Department of Justice investigation needed to prompt change?
After seeing progress in Calvert County I tried to raise awareness about the issue in Frederick County and across the state. I reached out to the State Superintendent and the State Board of Education. On September 24th, 2019 I traveled to Baltimore and provided public comment to the State Board of Education. In my comments, I applauded Superintendent Daniel Curry and the Calvert County Board of Education for taking appropriate action and asked what the Maryland State Department of Education was doing to address high rates of restraint and seclusion in other counties including Frederick, Charles, Washington, and Baltimore. On January 3rd, 2020 we published an article about increasing rates of restraint and seclusion across the state of Maryland. According to the 2018/19 Restraint and Seclusion Data Collection; Findings, and Recommendations report, Frederick County Public Schools had the highest rate of seclusion and the second-highest rate of restraint in the state as viewed by enrollment. Yet nothing was being done in Frederick County to address the issue.
There are few policies in a school system that if abused can lead to lifelong trauma (PTSD), significant injuries, or even death, however, restraint and seclusion use is one such issue. You are likely wondering why Superintendent Alban choose not to share this information with members of the Frederick County Public Schools Board of Education. Certainly, Superintendent Alban must have been aware of the data as it was submitted to the Maryland State Department of Education. Certainly, Superintendent Alban must have known that restraint and seclusion usage was an issue being raised in other districts across the state. Why then was the data not shared with the members of the Board of Education. After all, had this information been shared there would have been an opportunity to proactively address this issue much like was done in Calvert County Public Schools. If the appropriate leadership had been demonstrated there would have been an opportunity to end the trauma and abuse sooner and avoid a Department of Justice investigation. I hope these things are considered as you weigh your next steps.
We do want to offer any support we can to you and Frederick County Public Schools moving forward. If it would be helpful for you to get a better understanding of the issue we would be happy to present the topic to members of the Board of Education. We also have a video online that covers the topic comprehensively, if that is helpful. Additionally, we have conducted extensive research into better ways of supporting children, teachers, and staff while reducing and eliminating the use of restraint and seclusion. The settlement agreement is the beginning of this journey, but there is much to be done to create a safe and supportive environment for your children and educators in Frederick county. We would love the opportunity to discuss this with you further and offer any support.
Respectfully,
Guy Stephens
Founder and Executive Director
Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint
CC: Dr. Eric Louérs-Phillips, Kathryn Rich, Dr. Michael Markoe
Update:
We received a response from Board of Education President Brad W. Young on December 13th, 2021, which follows:
We appreciate the information that you shared and will keep it in mind as we navigate through dealing with the DOJ report and changes that need to be made. We are in the very early process of developing that navigation plan and I am confident that we will get it right. We appreciate you sharing and your offer of support!
