Category: Advocacy
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Ending Seclusion: Lessons in advocacy from our friends in New Hanover County, North Carolina
Advocacy is hard work. It takes time, energy, and tremendous dedication, but advocacy can change the world. I began my journey in advocacy by advocating for my son’s needs through the individual education plan (IEP) process at his school. Today the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint advocates for many children worldwide. We advocate for changes…
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A letter to the Board of Montclair Public Schools regarding restraint and seclusion
You may have seen the recent article on NJ.com called “Inside the quiet rooms.” The article focused on the use of restraint and seclusion in schools throughout the state. If you read the article, you no doubt saw the references to Montclair Public Schools. A mother and a former Montclair educator were quoted in the…
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An Avoidable Crisis: The Keeping All Students Safe Act (Part 3)
One shift in our mindset can mean the difference in appropriately meeting a child’s needs or potential harm to a child if we ask the question “why” and “why now” (Dr. Stuart Shanker). This curiosity means the difference between a child receiving empathy and support versus punishment and consequences. Again are these lucky or unlucky…
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An Avoidable Crisis: The Focus on Compliance (Part 1)
We hear from so many parents, caregivers, and teachers how “out of control” so many kids they work with are. They describe them as rude, disrespectful, disruptive, always touching things, and one of my favorites, can’t sit still. But what makes “these kids” so terrible?
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Don’t punish us for being autistic
Schools punishing students with autism for running (elopement) is sad. I was a runner when young. Please know that it is not to misbehave, but rather to escape the experience of autism’s confusing world. Your world is bearable, but ours is often jumpy or noisy or spinning. Running and feeling air swirling about can help…
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Our Road to Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC)
When I think back to the long road that we’ve been down when it comes to augmentative and alternative communication and using an AAC device, it’s unreal. When a speech-language pathologist (SLP) tells you that it will take a child 2-3 years to begin to grasp this new language, much like learning any language during…
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“There is no place in Maryland’s schools for the use of seclusion”
On Wednesday, March 2nd, 2022 there was a hearing in the Maryland Senate for SB 705, which would prohibit seclusion in all public schools in Maryland and significantly reduce the use of seclusion in nonpublic schools. I attended and provided testimony in support of the bill and was joined by several others including our State Superintendent Mohammad Choudhary.
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Action Alert: Tell the Maryland Senate to ban seclusion in all public schools
Great news – we have proposed legislation in the Maryland Senate that would ban seclusion in all public schools across the state and limit the use of seclusion in nonpublic schools (SB 0705). The legislation would also expand reporting requirements and require the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) to develop an accountability system. This…
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Time for change in Maryland: Legislation to reduce and eliminate restraint and seclusion
It’s time to ban seclusion in all public schools in Maryland (and everywhere) and have a higher level of accountability and oversight. While Maryland currently has some of the better laws in the nation, they are not enough. More must be done to protect the civil and human rights of children in Maryland schools. There…
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Submitting a public information request related to the use of restraint and seclusion
Suppose you are interested in learning information related to the use of restraint and seclusion in a school system in the United States. In that case, you might search the United States Department of Education Office of Civil Rights Data Collection (CRDC) website. The CRDC includes a wide range of education data collected from our nation’s public…