Category: Equity
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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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“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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Maryland State Department of Education promises to take action to prevent the illegal and discriminatory use of restraint and seclusion in schools
December 30th, 2021 the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) published a press release that says that MSDE will takes active measures to prevent the illegal and discriminatory use of restraint and seclusion in Maryland Schools. MSDE Superintendent Choudhury has directed a top-to-bottom review of state regulations, policies, and procedures on restraint and seclusion; and…
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Now is the time to Keep All Students Safe
Does it surprise you to know that there is no federal law around the use of restraint and seclusion in schools across the United States? Does it surprise you to know that children are injured, traumatized, and die being restrained and secluded in schools in the United States every year? Does it surprise you to…
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My Child Can’t Talk. How Will I Know if Someone’s Hurting Him at School?
My son is autistic and has a significant intellectual disability. He attends middle school in a self-contained classroom. Recently, we learned that one of his classmates was physically restrained by staff 33 times in a period of 8 weeks — at least once to the point of unconsciousness — without report to the child’s parents.…
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A letter to the Katonah-Lewisboro School District Board of Education
I am writing to you today on behalf of the Alliance Against Seclusion and Restraint (AASR). AASR is a community of over 14,000 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…
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A response to OCR’s request for information regarding the administration of school discipline
re-K through grade 12. OCR solicits these comments to inform determinations about what policy guidance, technical assistance, or other resources would assist schools that serve students in pre-K through grade 12 with improving school climate and safety, consistent with the civil rights laws that OCR enforces, to ensure equal access to education programs and activities.…
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How Can We Center Equity and the Human Experience in 2021-2022?
Race and equity were key words in education long before America’s racial reckoning was re-sparked in the summer of 2020. If you work in education, you are probably well aware of the disproportionate achievement of black and brown students compared to their white counterparts, higher discipline referrals and suspensions, a higher diagnosis of students with…