CO - Disabled students forced to sit in own blood, urine

http://www.9news.com/rss/article.aspx?storyid=66254

COLORADO SPRINGS – A school watch group is accusing an elementary school of restraining and secluding students with disabilities, forcing one to sit in her own urine.
The Legal Center for People with Disabilities and Older People says five students with disabilities who attended Will Rogers Elementary were restrained or secluded on 45 different occasions since 2005.

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This just sounds really bad. The article goes on to cite incidents where students were deprived of food, etc.

I wish I could say this was something knew.

Schools do not comply with ADA laws and parents are kept uninformed and left feelng helpless.

I am to the point that I think every parent with a disabled child who has been in a public school and abused needs to band together and do something.

Enough is enough.. Making a law did not change ignorance nor did it provide teachers with the influx of disabled children the support and funds needed to help them.

How awful!!

I think it is a disgrace that the school system is treating disabled children with the same discipline as the students with no problems, and noticed that only several children are involved in this issue and four paraprofessionals. These children should have had an aide with them during any time outs and it looks like there was plenty of personnel. Being locked in a room would make any adult frantic much less a disabled child who has severe problems. Something needs to be done and federal disability laws need to be upheld. I believe that disabled children who are disruptive, by law, have a right to an aide to be with them to help prevent behavior problems. I'm suprised that these children weren't charged with crimes and placed into juvie, which is another disgrace going on in this country. These kids are not adults who are in mental institutions or prisons, but are being like they are and having even less rights than adult criminals. Looks like when a disabled child gets out of hand, the family should immediately be called to pick them up so that they can contact medical personnel or psychologists for an emergency session. I know I've seen kids having these episodes at my grandsons' doctor office with shoe throwing, screaming, etc. and they certainly were not being locked in a room.

txsvicki said:

I think it is a disgrace that the school system is treating disabled children with the same discipline as the students with no problems, and noticed that only several children are involved in this issue and four paraprofessionals. These children should have had an aide with them during any time outs and it looks like there was plenty of personnel. Being locked in a room would make any adult frantic much less a disabled child who has severe problems. Something needs to be done and federal disability laws need to be upheld. I believe that disabled children who are disruptive, by law, have a right to an aide to be with them to help prevent behavior problems. I'm suprised that these children weren't charged with crimes and placed into juvie, which is another disgrace going on in this country. These kids are not adults who are in mental institutions or prisons, but are being like they are and having even less rights than adult criminals. Looks like when a disabled child gets out of hand, the family should immediately be called to pick them up so that they can contact medical personnel or psychologists for an emergency session. I know I've seen kids having these episodes at my grandsons' doctor office with shoe throwing, screaming, etc. and they certainly were not being locked in a room.

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A one on one aide for each of these kids? Whose going to pay for that? What teacher signs on to be bitten, kicked and fought & have things thrown at them by her student on a regualar basis? What about the OTHER children in the class trying to learn? Children that are this much of a behavior problem don't belong in public schools.

Linda7NJ said:

A one on one aide for each of these kids? Whose going to pay for that? What teacher signs on to be bitten, kicked and fought & have things thrown at them by her student on a regualar basis? What about the OTHER children in the class trying to learn? Children that are this much of a behavior problem don't belong in public schools.

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I don't know where the kids belong since it's the law to send kids to school and not all can afford private schooling. These little kids aren't delinquents in gangs or dealing drugs. Until the people in charge make special schools for the disabled then teachers do sign on knowing that they will have mentally disabled students in their classrooms and that they should follow state and federal laws for the disabled. They will have to deal with it and provide safety at the same time. This surely does not include locking a child in a room alone to injure themselves or to deny bathroom and meals. When parents are brought up who deny bathroom privileges and lock kids in the cages for hours, they are vilified and sent to prison. I've even read on a parent's forum about kids being put into timeout boxes at some schools, and don't think this is right. Here is an excerpt from the IDEA and public law, an act for children with disabilities ( Note 300.551 which I think I've read that could include having an aide available for extreme behavior problems) :

300.552(b)

any placement which is needed to implement the child's IEP. Provision must also be made for

300.551(b)(2)

supplying any supplementary services needed when a handicapped child is in a regular class.

300.552(d)

In selecting the least restrictive environment for your child, school officials must consider any possible harmful effects that a particular placement may have on your child or on services your child is to receive. It is the responsibility of the State Department of Education to:

300.554

make arrangements with public and private institutions to insure that to the extent appropriate, handicapped children are educated with non-handicapped children,

300.555

insure that teachers and administrators are fully informed about the implications of the concept of the least restrictive environment and receive training and assistance in its application,

300.556

insure that all schools in the state are carrying out these requirements. If there is evidence that a school is not, the State Department of Education is obligated to review the school's performance and to see that any shortcomings are corrected.

txsvicki said:

I don't know where the kids belong since it's the law to send kids to school and not all can afford private schooling. These little kids aren't delinquents in gangs or dealing drugs. Until the people in charge make special schools for the disabled then teachers do sign on knowing that they will have mentally disabled students in their classrooms and that they should follow state and federal laws for the disabled. They will have to deal with it and provide safety at the same time. This surely does not include locking a child in a room alone to injure themselves or to deny bathroom and meals. When parents are brought up who deny bathroom privileges and lock kids in the cages for hours, they are vilified and sent to prison. I've even read on a parent's forum about kids being put into timeout boxes at some schools, and don't think this is right. Here is an excerpt from the IDEA and public law, an act for children with disabilities ( Note 300.551 which I think I've read that could include having an aide available for extreme behavior problems) :

300.552(b)

any placement which is needed to implement the child's IEP. Provision must also be made for

300.551(b)(2)

supplying any supplementary services needed when a handicapped child is in a regular class.

300.552(d)

In selecting the least restrictive environment for your child, school officials must consider any possible harmful effects that a particular placement may have on your child or on services your child is to receive. It is the responsibility of the State Department of Education to:

300.554

make arrangements with public and private institutions to insure that to the extent appropriate, handicapped children are educated with non-handicapped children,

300.555

insure that teachers and administrators are fully informed about the implications of the concept of the least restrictive environment and receive training and assistance in its application,

300.556

insure that all schools in the state are carrying out these requirements. If there is evidence that a school is not, the State Department of Education is obligated to review the school's performance and to see that any shortcomings are corrected.

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IMO children that assault their teacher or other students on a regualr basis ARE delinquents!

300.554

make arrangements with public and private institutions to insure that to the EXTENT APPROPRIATE, handicapped children are educated with non-handicapped children,

Again I ask, what about the other students in the class? How are they supposed to learn when the class is constantly disrupted?

Linda7NJ said:

A one on one aide for each of these kids? Whose going to pay for that? What teacher signs on to be bitten, kicked and fought & have things thrown at them by her student on a regualar basis? What about the OTHER children in the class trying to learn? Children that are this much of a behavior problem don't belong in public schools.

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My sympathies to disabled children, but I have never agreed the severely disruptive/violent belong in a classroom with other children.

ETA.: My youngest was in 1st grade with a Downes Syndrome child. Kevin's only problem is that he was slow to learn, other than that he was great kid. My son and Kevin are still friends today.

Its unacceptable that these kids are treated this poorly. If they are in a public setting with other children and are causing large disturbances then yes they need to be in a school specifically designed to deal with it but their is no excuse for making them sit in their own urine that is horrible and degrading to the child. Personally this is just another reason Im planning on homeschooling my daughter, Im not happy with school systems today. Thankfully I live in a state where it is fine to do that local churches encourage it and give classes for free to help the parent do it and school supplies are available to get a high school diploma, not a ged. Frankly public schools just arent good enough for my daughter.

txsvicki said:

I think it is a disgrace that the school system is treating disabled children with the same discipline as the students with no problems, and noticed that only several children are involved in this issue and four paraprofessionals. These children should have had an aide with them during any time outs and it looks like there was plenty of personnel. Being locked in a room would make any adult frantic much less a disabled child who has severe problems. Something needs to be done and federal disability laws need to be upheld. I believe that disabled children who are disruptive, by law, have a right to an aide to be with them to help prevent behavior problems. I'm suprised that these children weren't charged with crimes and placed into juvie, which is another disgrace going on in this country. These kids are not adults who are in mental institutions or prisons, but are being like they are and having even less rights than adult criminals. Looks like when a disabled child gets out of hand, the family should immediately be called to pick them up so that they can contact medical personnel or psychologists for an emergency session. I know I've seen kids having these episodes at my grandsons' doctor office with shoe throwing, screaming, etc. and they certainly were not being locked in a room.

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Txsvicki, The law actually states that disabled or special needs children with behavoir problems must be given a behvoir plan which highlights postive reenforcement.

I just want to say that my disabled child has been in the public school system for 4 years now and not once (too my knowledge) has she or anyone in her class been treated like this. There are good special-ed teachers out there.

I have been SO blessed, but I do worry and pray every year when the teachers change..... (I also do this for my typical children!)

I don't think that news outlet should have released the names of those children though. I noticed the teacher's name as well as the names of the para's were not stated in that article. :silenced:

Another article with a little more information:
http://www.gazette.com/onset?id=20100&template=article.html

Maybe the parents allowed the use of their children's names. Whatever.

Linda7NJ said:

What teacher signs on to be bitten, kicked and fought & have things thrown at them by her student on a regualar basis? What about the OTHER children in the class trying to learn? Children that are this much of a behavior problem don't belong in public schools.

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They Don't Belong in public school? I beg to differ. It was stated in the article that a lot of these behavior problems were results of their disabilities. Every child deserves an appropriate education placement at public expense. It is a right afforded to every child and that right is paid for with their parents tax dollars.

A one on one aide for each of these kids? Whose going to pay for that?

The school district. If they do not have an appropriate placement then they can pay for a private school for these kids. School districts do not have the legal option to say that they can not afford an appropriate placement. They get money for all of the kids in the district and they have to educate all of them. Also they receive more money for the kids on IEPs so they can give them individualized services. They have to dig deep though and make the right decisions with their money. It is a big job but it is their job to do it.

Think of a school district like a family. Every child in their district is one of their children and they have their paycheck (tax money) to support them. They have to attends to the needs of all of their children (and put the wants last) and some children that are disabled or have serious problems will need more. Just like how a parent can not kick a child out of the family or neglect them because they are disabled and cost more than their other kids ...a school district can not do it either.

What teacher signs on to be bitten, kicked and fought & have things thrown at them by her student on a regualar basis?

Not a regular education teacher which is why they have special placements for these children (not closets though, that is not an appropriate placement) and special teachers. If the child is really out of control then they should be in a different placement then a regular education classroom of course. They need intervention and time that a teacher can not give them in a regular education classroom with 20 plus other students. There are teachers though that Do sign on to take care of these kids and get them the help that they need. God Bless them.

After reading the article though it seems that a lot of these kids actions were sensory issues (head banging, hitting themself, etc) that escalated into agression because of lack of structure (being locked up for long periods in time outs?...ugh, kids with disbilities need MORE structure then other children) and abuse. These type of kids are usually so frustrated in school because of their own disabilities and inability to easily communicate that abuse, negative reinforcement and humiliation from teachers can send them over the edge.



What about the OTHER children in the class trying to learn?

If a child is so much of a distraction that the other children are affected then the school should have a plan in place. If they do is another story . Also a disabled child has to be in the least restrictive environment so that means that a school district can not just shut all these kids away jsut because they have a disability. A one on one aide is an effective way for a child that needs more help to get help without distracting the teacher. Sometimes though they have to be removed from the class and into a smaller and more restrictive environment with more teachers and aides that can give attention to all students. These teachers sign on for this job and are trained for this job. If they do not like it and do not have the patience for it than they should look into something else or be moved to another place before the abuse a child. I would walk out of the school before I abused a child like these children were abused.

I do believe though that you have to be involved in your kids education and advocate for your child if you have a child with a disability. I feel for the parents but I have to wonder how it got this bad. Maybe I am just lucky though. I work at my childrens school occasionally (and did full time for a while) so I have always have had the ability to "spy" on their classrooms. Thank God. If I ever had an inkling that something even remotely like this was going on in my son's resouce classroom I would pull him from school with a 10 day notice so fast and if the school disagreed I would take them to due process without thinking twice. The lawyer would be worth every penny (or should I say thousands of dollars ).

Sorry so long... I will get off my soapbox now :blushing:

Some behaviors are much more disturbing to instructors, aides, and student peers as well as to normal students in schools, than other behaviors.

I've been there, done that, both as a parent of 2 mentally challenged sons, and as a substitute in special education classrooms. As a substitute in a very large and populous county near Atlanta, GA, I've seen many difficult student situations to handle but I've never seen uncaring personnel. There are situations where one-on-one would be preferable but isn't financially realistic in public school.

I've never been an advocate for academic inclusion of students with severe behaviors, as I think it causes resentments that can be avoided. I favor inclusion in more casual classrooms like art, music, and physical education, which give students access to each other that can create mutually desirable interactions.

Obviously, some students with severe behaviors have more or less intelligence than other students with equally severe behaviors. The students should be dealt with individually, and as a matter of fact, it's required by federal law that they are dealt with individually.

My experience has been that it is parents who more often have unrealistic expectations of their severely and profoundly impaired children, and that causes major problems in elementary schools.

SLP said:

They Don't Belong in public school? I beg to differ. It was stated in the article that a lot of these behavior problems were results of their disabilities. Every child deserves an appropriate education placement at public expense. It is a right afforded to every child and that right is paid for with their parents tax dollars.

A one on one aide for each of these kids? Whose going to pay for that?

The school district. If they do not have an appropriate placement then they can pay for a private school for these kids. School districts do not have the legal option to say that they can not afford an appropriate placement. They get money for all of the kids in the district and they have to educate all of them. Also they receive more money for the kids on IEPs so they can give them individualized services. They have to dig deep though and make the right decisions with their money. It is a big job but it is their job to do it.

Think of a school district like a family. Every child in their district is one of their children and they have their paycheck (tax money) to support them. They have to attends to the needs of all of their children (and put the wants last) and some children that are disabled or have serious problems will need more. Just like how a parent can not kick a child out of the family or neglect them because they are disabled and cost more than their other kids ...a school district can not do it either.

What teacher signs on to be bitten, kicked and fought & have things thrown at them by her student on a regualar basis?

Not a regular education teacher which is why they have special placements for these children (not closets though, that is not an appropriate placement) and special teachers. If the child is really out of control then they should be in a different placement then a regular education classroom of course. They need intervention and time that a teacher can not give them in a regular education classroom with 20 plus other students. There are teachers though that Do sign on to take care of these kids and get them the help that they need. God Bless them.

After reading the article though it seems that a lot of these kids actions were sensory issues (head banging, hitting themself, etc) that escalated into agression because of lack of structure (being locked up for long periods in time outs?...ugh, kids with disbilities need MORE structure then other children) and abuse. These type of kids are usually so frustrated in school because of their own disabilities and inability to easily communicate that abuse, negative reinforcement and humiliation from teachers can send them over the edge.



What about the OTHER children in the class trying to learn?

If a child is so much of a distraction that the other children are affected then the school should have a plan in place. If they do is another story . Also a disabled child has to be in the least restrictive environment so that means that a school district can not just shut all these kids away jsut because they have a disability. A one on one aide is an effective way for a child that needs more help to get help without distracting the teacher. Sometimes though they have to be removed from the class and into a smaller and more restrictive environment with more teachers and aides that can give attention to all students. These teachers sign on for this job and are trained for this job. If they do not like it and do not have the patience for it than they should look into something else or be moved to another place before the abuse a child. I would walk out of the school before I abused a child like these children were abused.

I do believe though that you have to be involved in your kids education and advocate for your child if you have a child with a disability. I feel for the parents but I have to wonder how it got this bad. Maybe I am just lucky though. I work at my childrens school occasionally (and did full time for a while) so I have always have had the ability to "spy" on their classrooms. Thank God. If I ever had an inkling that something even remotely like this was going on in my son's resouce classroom I would pull him from school with a 10 day notice so fast and if the school disagreed I would take them to due process without thinking twice. The lawyer would be worth every penny (or should I say thousands of dollars ).

Sorry so long... I will get off my soapbox now :blushing:

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This is a great post!

csds703 said:

This is a great post!

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That was a great post. I wonder if SLP means what I think it means?! We love our SLP's here!

I would like to comment that it is VERY difficult to get a one-on-one aide in our school district. At least in my daughter's room the ratio is 3 teachers for 6 students. Well, one teacher and two aides anyway.

I checked out the aide's names on myspace and one had a page there. She wrote how she really loved what she was doing and hadn't expected to as this was her first experience in a classroom like that. Her page was very nice for someone her age-no nasty pics/messages/songs/backgrounds/blogs etc.

I wanted to leave a comment but didn't exactly want her to know I had "stalked" her! lol :innocent:

While I think there are issues with this particular school I have to ask myself how involved these parents are. Before you bash me let me explain myself. I am the mother of a child that was SEVERELY ADHD and bipolar. I was told by more than one person that he was the most extensive case they had ever seen and most parents that they knew with kids like him gave them up to the state because they couldn't deal with them. I lived in Colorado Springs during his early school years. I was an ADVOCATE for his education--but also was concerned about the safety of ALL students in his class. He was under the care of a psychiatrist and we also at one point had to put him in a hospital. While in this hospital they used the "quiet" room system. The children would have to sit facing a wall with their hands behind them on the floor-one minute per year of age and time only started once they were sitting correctly and quietly. It was a way for them to get control of themselves and it WORKS(provided it is monitored and used CORRECTLY.)

In my opinion the child who hurt himself in the time out room really needed to be hospitalized long ago to get a better understanding of his behaviour and find the best way to help him. Does the school need to make changes? YES1 However, I hope that any future problems are not blamed on the school--parents are where it STARTS and with a child with these types of problems you have to be very proactive--this went on way tooooo long for me to believe that these parents were advocating for their childrens education prior to this investigation.

Animal04216 said:

While I think there are issues with this particular school I have to ask myself how involved these parents are. Before you bash me let me explain myself. I am the mother of a child that was SEVERELY ADHD and bipolar. I was told by more than one person that he was the most extensive case they had ever seen and most parents that they knew with kids like him gave them up to the state because they couldn't deal with them. I lived in Colorado Springs during his early school years. I was an ADVOCATE for his education--but also was concerned about the safety of ALL students in his class. He was under the care of a psychiatrist and we also at one point had to put him in a hospital. While in this hospital they used the "quiet" room system. The children would have to sit facing a wall with their hands behind them on the floor-one minute per year of age and time only started once they were sitting correctly and quietly. It was a way for them to get control of themselves and it WORKS(provided it is monitored and used CORRECTLY.)

In my opinion the child who hurt himself in the time out room really needed to be hospitalized long ago to get a better understanding of his behaviour and find the best way to help him. Does the school need to make changes? YES1 However, I hope that any future problems are not blamed on the school--parents are where it STARTS and with a child with these types of problems you have to be very proactive--this went on way tooooo long for me to believe that these parents were advocating for their childrens education prior to this investigation.

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I understand what you mean, Animal. You really have to be attuned to your children whether they are disabled or not, and involved w/them at school as much as possible. When I read that the mom of one of these children knew her child was "terrified" of school I have to wonder what she did about it all that time. It's quite possible she did do something but the school lied about things.

My "disabled" daughter is non-verbal and it is SO hard everyday knowing that she might be trying to tell me something that happened, but can't. I have to take the teacher's word for what happened, good or bad, that day. I guess I could stay in the classroom all day, but so far I trust this group of teachers/aides. If her personality changed for the worst, and nothing at home had changed, I'd have to highly suspect the school.

Sorry to ramble! :doh:

QUOTEWhat teacher signs on to be bitten, kicked and fought & have things thrown at them by her student on a regualar basis?

Not a regular education teacher which is why they have special placements for these children (not closets though, that is not an appropriate placement) and special teachers. If the child is really out of control then they should be in a different placement then a regular education classroom of course. They need intervention and time that a teacher can not give them in a regular education classroom with 20 plus other students. There are teachers though that Do sign on to take care of these kids and get them the help that they need. God Bless them. QUOTE


The major problem I have had in the last few years as a regular education teacher is NCLB. It severely limits the percentage of students in a school who CAN receive special education services. In our high school, 18% of our students were served. NCLB says that only 12% can be served. We literally had to through 6% of our special education students into regular ed classrooms w/ no learning support. The 12% that can be served must be in regular education classes 80% of the time.
Example (name changed): Beth's mom beat her head against a sink when she was 2--until that point, Beth exhibited "normal" development. By the time the "mother" was finished there were traumatic brain injuries. Beth cannot read, write, or talk. She makes noises and cries and those who work with her can generally figure out what she wants (pain, bathroom, drink, etc. . .). However, the noises she makes are not always understandable and
are very loud/disruptive and sometimes continuous for 30-45 minutes when she gets on a roll. I love this child to death, BUT American Lit/Comp is difficult enough to teach without her in the room "barking." (I'm not being rude, that is the sound she makes.) How does American Lit/Comp help her? She needs to be learning life skills so that she can be as independent as possible. Regular education art, music and gym (etc.) are practical areas for "main-streaming." Once again, Beth is a favorite of mine, but her classroom disruptions EVERY SINGLE DAY wear on everyone in the room. (Don't let anyone tell you differently--teachers have favorites!)
**High English school classes in GA have a limit of 32; however, I have had classes w/ 37. The average is turned into the state. AP classes generally have under 12 students and CVAE/Honors courses are limited to 24; so, teachers who teach general or college preparatory students are almost always overloaded. (Special ed teachers are limited to 9 w/ or w/o a para-pro.)

NOTE: I in NO WAY condone what the "teachers" in the article starting this thread did. They should be tossed out of the profession. They are a disgrace.

Main-streaming is a hot topic like bottle vs. breast and stay-at-home moms vs. working moms. ARGH!

So far my daughter is not main-streamed because I don't think it would do her any good and she definitely would bring down the class if the majority were typical children. Maybe when she gets older, I'll understand the concept better and use it to her advantage, but right now she's 7 yrs w/the mental capabilities (and some behavior) of a 2-3 yr old.

(stopping cuz I'm way off topic, I think)

In any case, no child should be left to sit in their own urine and not fed during the day as a punishment.