We are sharing with you today a public comment that was delivered to the Virginia Beach Special Education Advisory Committee during a recent meeting.
Ladies and gentlemen, educators, policymakers, and advocates,
Today, I stand before you to share the story of a remarkable child, a boy whose light shone brightly in a world that too often failed to see how innocent and loving he was. His name was Joshua Andrew Sikes—Joshie—a boy who loved Halloween, pumpkins, and the simple joy of human connection. He was a child whose innocence remained untouched by cynicism, whose heart knew only love, and whose spirit was as pure as the autumn air on the day that he entered this world.
Joshie was not just a child with autism, intellectual disability, and ADHD. He was a son, a friend, and a joyful presence who filled our home with laughter, music and play. He was a collector of dollies, a singer of songs, and a boy who saw magic in the ordinary. His days were spent immersed in a world of wonder, a world where his beloved LOL dolls were not mere toys but cherished companions who accompanied him as his little “friends” through the ups and downs of his challenging life.
Despite the love that surrounded him, Josh lived in a system that did not always understand or respect his needs. Like so many children with disabilities, he faced challenges that should have been met with patience, support, and understanding. Instead, he encountered a system that, at times, responded with force rather than compassion, with control rather than care. He experienced restraint and seclusion—practices that, rather than fostering safety, instill fear and trauma in the most vulnerable people among us.
The timeline of Josh’s final days tells a chilling story. A bruise was discovered. Aggression was out of the norm. A call from the school. An incident where he was deemed “unsafe.” A mother left to pick up the pieces, never fully knowing what exactly had transpired behind closed doors since Joshie was minimally verbal. And then, the unthinkable—a child, my child, found cold and unresponsive in the early hours of the morning. A child who deserved protection, not punishment. A child who should still be here today.
Josh, along with some of his classmates, were placed into a “seclusion” area, one surrounded by four walls, with no way out except through whomever their jailor was. These walls were constructed of a combination of metal filing cabinets, metal bookcases, and a multitude of tie-down straps that would typically be used to secure furniture in the back of a vehicle. The floor had no padding.
Two days after his death, a SECEP employee contacted me, sharing photos of the ‘contraption’ that Josh was placed in. Through their tears, they described how Josh had been placed in this area—the equivalent of a dog pen, multiple times. On his last day of school, he was placed in there for almost three hours, crying, screaming, lying on the floor, and kicking the filing cabinets that barricaded him from his freedom only every time he kicked, his head would also slam into the concrete wall. I ask all of you, is this an environment that a CHILD should be placed in? A child who was at school to learn to learn and have a fair education, just as their neurotypical peers are?
This is not just Josh’s story. This is the story of countless children across the state of Virginia and our nation who are subjected to restraint and seclusion in schools that CLAIM to educate and nurture them. It is the story of families who send their children to school, believing they will be safe, only to later experience finding their child cold and in bed after they have departed this world—everything that they have ever known, shattered. This is a systemic failure. This is unacceptable. This must change. People must answer for their wrongdoings.
Today, I call upon our leaders, our educators, and our policymakers to take decisive action. We must demand an end to the use of restraint and seclusion in special education. We must ensure that no child is subjected to fear and force in an environment meant for growth and learning. We must replace outdated, harmful practices with evidence-based interventions that prioritize de-escalation, trauma-informed care, and respect for the dignity of every student. Our children, ALL of our children, deserved to be treated as such and not dehumanized to the point of being comparable to animals.
Please, let Josh’s story not be one of tragedy alone but one of transformation. Let his memory fuel a movement that ensures no other child suffers as he and so many others did. Let us stand together and say, “No more.”
We have the power to create a future where all children, regardless of ability, are met with the love, compassion, and support they deserve. The time to act is now. I ask that all of you here today remain vigilant, keep a watchful eye on your children, and fearlessly demand the safety and well-being of all of our children when they are under the watchful eye of their educators.
Thank you.
Julie Bentley-Sikes
