My seven-year-old, a struggling learner, having a no-good, very bad, horrible day, asked to talk to their mom. The Director of Student Services decided not to allow it. What followed? A seven-year-old was surrounded by large folding mats in a temporary pen for nearly 30 minutes.

A few weeks after my child was secluded, news of another New Jersey student, a kindergartener, being surrounded with mats hit the local newspapers.

As I navigated what had happened to my child, my role, the role of the administration, staff, and services, I opened up more and more. The first time I told a Board of Education member that my child had been surrounded by mats and held to a wall, their response was that our district does not do that. During that conversation, the Board member explained to me that they had seen the news article about the Gloucester kindergartener and had emailed it to our district’s then-superintendent. The then superintendent had assured them that that does not happen in Bloomingdale. At the time of my conversation with the Board member, I had already met directly with the superintendent. He was certainly aware.

Since the conversation with the Board member, through subsequent presentations and discussions, it became clear that Bloomingdale schools did and do surround children with mats. Yet the same Board member sat silent, knowing that the superintendent misled them. It seems that having had the curiosity to initially ask the question, they perhaps lacked the courage to take any action when the answer was something other than a no. Worse still, they lacked the courage to hold an administrator willing to lie to them accountable.

Recently, in the Salmon River Central School District in NY, the use of a “time-out room” has hit the news. A plywood box with a locked door. The Governor of NY is calling for an investigation. It’s being reported that a Board of Education member became aware of the photo and has sought answers. ​

To those who have the courage to speak up, investigate, and take action, thank you. You have a rare and much-needed heart.