Category: Advocacy
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New Hanover County, You need to ban seclusion not rooms
About 18 months ago, parents and advocates began to raise awareness about the use of seclusion in New Hanover County public schools. Over time more parents and advocates joined the effort to reduce the use of physical restraint and eliminate the use of seclusion in New Hanover County schools. Community members and advocates spoke at…
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A mother tells Round Rock ISD it is time to end the systemic culture of abuse
What follows is the written transcript of public comment delivered to the Round Rock, Texas, Independent School District school board by Tatiana Alfano. Tatiana’s son Quintin was thrown into a “cool down” room by a school administrator.
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It’s time to ban seclusion in New Jersey schools
Seclusion is the involuntary confinement of a student alone in a room or area from which the student is physically prevented from leaving. In June, an investigation by the NJ Advance Media led to the publication of an article, “Inside the quiet rooms.” The article stated that at least 1,150 New Jersey students had been…
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Invisible Voices: Wednesday’s Children
The school-to-prison pipeline exist for the rest of the country despite local, state, and national efforts. Why? Inadequate funding and resources for schools, harsh zero-tolerance policies, and police presence in public schools continue to create school environments in which poor and minority students have little chance of succeeding. Fatherless homes, single moms working more than…
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Building a seclusion room inside or directly alongside a special education classroom is discrimination
When you build a seclusion room inside or in close proximity to a segregated special education classroom, that is discrimination. It not only signals an intent to discriminate and use seclusion almost exclusively on children in these programs the data backs it up. The best Federal data that we have on seclusion indicates that 77%…
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Could the First Amendment to the United States Constitution protect your child from physical restraint, seclusion, and corporal punishment?
One day while browsing my overflowing email inbox, I noticed an email from The Satanic Temple (TST). Initially, I assumed it was probably another spam email message. However, when I scanned the subject line, I saw ‘The Satanic Temple’s “Protect Children Project.”‘ Well, this sounded interesting, so I decided to read the email. The email…
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Back to school can be a challenging time for neurodivergent students
Back to school is generally seen as a time for new clothes, new teachers, and new challenges for students of all ages. To autistic students, students with genetic conditions affecting behavior, and other disabled students, these activities can be fraught with landmines. How will they fit into these learning environments? Will the teachers understand your…
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Problematic Behavioral Intervention Strategies: It’s not working for the child (Part 2)
One of the key issues with Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) is the approach to identifying the function of behavior. PBIS guidance suggests that “staff should minimize reinforcement of the behavior.” Let’s break this down. This belief is rooted in the view that the function of the behavior works for the child. This belief…
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Corporal punishment has no place in a civilized society
The Cassville School District in Missouri has decided to bring back corporal punishment. Corporal punishment is a form of punishment intended to cause physical pain to a person in response to undesirable behavior. In the case of Cassville School District, physical pain will be inflicted on students of all ages with a paddle. According to the Superintendent,…
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A teacher on a mission to reduce and eliminate restraint and seclusion
I’m a special educator with over ten years of experience working in self-contained alternative classrooms in Arizona and Vermont. When I began my career, I was a teacher who restrained and secluded young children. I was a teacher who couldn’t have done anything differently because I lacked skills. I was new and inexperienced. I didn’t…