Recently,
the Bellevue School Board met to vote on a plan regarding the use of
restraint and seclusion techniques (read the Q13 report here).
While the plan might have addressed the legislature’s requirement to
have a policy, it fell far short in addressing the very real concerns of
parents whose children have I/DD and who have been forced into
isolation rooms due to behavioral issues.
Parents who
spoke up against the plan managed to table its vote…for now, but it’s a
battle that has shown few signs of subsiding.
According to the national campaign to Stop Hurting Kids:
Restraint and Seclusion are practices used in public schools that have
killed, injured, and traumatized students. More than 20 children have
died, according to a Congressional agency report. At least 107,000
students were subjected to restraint and seclusion in isolation rooms,
according to data from the 2011-12 school year.
The campaign has established a National Call-In Day
to members of Congress, asking them to co-sponsor the KEEPING ALL
STUDENTS SAFE ACT, which seeks to prevent dangerous restraint and
seclusion.
The Call-In Day is June 12th. For more information, visit the Stop Hurting Kids action alert.
