Report Prompts Renewed Push To Limit Restraint, Seclusion
By Michelle Diament
to Senator Harkin, I so do not want him to retire.
February 13, 2014
Widespread use of restraint and seclusion in the nation’s schools is putting kids with disabilities at risk and current laws offer families little recourse, a U.S. Senate investigation finds.
A 54-page report from the Senate’s Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee unveiled Wednesday documents 10 cases where students have experienced restraint or seclusion at school. Among them are the story of a 12-year-old Florida boy with developmental disabilities who was restrained 89 times in 14 months without his parents’ knowledge and the case of a 14-year-old in Georgia who committed suicide after being repeatedly secluded at school.
The findings were issued as Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa, announced plans to introduce federal legislation to limit the use of restraint and seclusion in schools, practices which data suggest are most frequently used on students with disabilities.
Currently, Harkin said that there are laws to protect individuals in jails and hospitals but there are no nationwide standards for schools.
remainder:http://www.disabilityscoop.com/2014/02/13/report-renewed-restraint/19106/
