SET
SET APART
SET APART FROM OTHERS, TOO MANY TIMES?4@ THAT'S THE QUESTION BEING ASKED
IN AUGUSTA, WHERE
LAWMAKERS ARE WORKING ON A BILL
THAT WOULD REQUIRE SCHOOLS4@
TO MORE ACCURATELY REPORT THOSE
INCIDENTS.4@
IT ALL COMES IN THE WAKE OF A
RECENT REPORT THAT FOUND
SCHOOLS ARE RESTRAINING STUDENTS
FOUR TO 11 TIMES
HIGHER THAN THE NATIONAL
AVERAGE.4@
ALSO-- THE REPORT SAYS MORE
THAN 70 PERCENT OF THE4@
CASES INVOLVE STUDENTS WITH
DISABIITES... EVEN THOUGH
THERE'S A
LAW ON THE BOOKS THAT'S SUPPOSED
TO REDUCE THE NUMBER OF 4@
INCIDENTS.
NEWS CENTER'S VIVIEN LEIGH IS
FOLLOWING THE STOR4@Y AND JOINS
INCIDENTS. NEWS CENTER'S VIVIEN LEIGH IS FOLLOWING THE STOR4@Y AND JOINS@
US WITH MORE.
VIV?
VIV?
VIV? DISABILITY RIGHTS MAINE, WHICH
4@
4@ ADVOCATES FOR PARENTS AND PEOPLE WITH DISABILITES REVIEWED FIVE
YEARS OF DATA 4@
FROM MORE THAN 200 SCHOOL
DISTRICTS ACROSS MAINE. IT FOUN@
REPORTS OF RESTRAINT OR
SECLUSION INCREASED FROM
12-000 INCIDENTS TO MORE THAN
20- THOUSAND OVER A FOUR YEAR
PERIOD. BUT EDUCATORS WHO WORK
WITH STUDENTS WITH
SEVERE BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES SAY
THIS REPORT
DOESN'T SHOW THE WHOLE PICTURE.
SEVERE BEHAVIORAL CHALLENGES SAY THIS REPORT DOESN'T SHOW THE WHOLE PICTURE.@
ALEX MARTELL WAS DIAGNOSED WITH
ADHD, MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDER
ALEX MARTELL WAS DIAGNOSED WITH ADHD, MOOD AND ANXIETY DISORDER@ WHEN HE STARTED KINDERGART4@EN.
BUT HIS MOM SAYS HIS EXPERIENCE
AS4@
A SPECIAL NEEDS STUDENT HAS BEEN
4@4@
4@4@ ANYTHING BUT SMOOTH. THE 12-YEAR OLD HAS BEEN PHYSICALLY
RESTRAINED OR 4@
PUT
PUT IN
PUT IN SECLUSION -- A ROOM BY HIMSELF -- MORE THAN 75 TIMES. SCHOOL STAFF IS ALLOWED TO USE
THESE METHODS IN EMERGENCY
SITUATIONS TO KEEP STUDENTS FROM
HURTING THEMSELVES OR
TEACHERS. BECAUSE OF HIS
DISABILITY ALEX STRUGGLES WITH
FOLLOWING DIRECTIONS BUT HAS
NEVER LEFT THE SCHOOL 4@
WITHOUT PERMISSION OR BEEN
AGGRESSIVE TO HIMSELF OR4@
TEACHERS.
DENISE MARTELL, ALEX'S MOM.
MAYBE HE IS DISTURBING THE CLASS
I UNDERSTAND IF
THEY DON'T WANT THAT BUT THAT'S
MAYBE HE IS DISTURBING THE CLASS I UNDERSTAND IF THEY DON'T WANT THAT BUT THAT'S@
NOT A REASON TO HAVE FIVE PEOPLE
ONE ON EACH ARM ONE ON EACH LEG
HOLDING HIS HEAD TO THE FLOOR.4@
ALEX MARTELL, 12-YEARS OLD.
HOW DO YOU FEEL WHEN YOU GO BACK
TO SCHOOL THE NEXT DAY
WHEN THIS HAPPENS? DO YOU TALK
TO THEM? NO NOT REALLY. DO
YOU TRUST THEM? NO NOT REALLY.4@
4@MARTELL
4@MARTELL SHOWS US A STACK OF INCIDENT REPORTS THAT DATE BACK TO
SECOND GRADE. THE LATEST
INCIDENTS OF RESTRAINT AND
SECLUSION HAPPENED EARLIER THIS
YEAR
YEAR AT
YEAR AT BONNIE EAGLE MIDDLE SCHOOL. UNDER A 2013 LAW KNOWN AS CHAPTER 33 --
SCHOOL DISTRICTS ARE REQUIRED
TO REPORT INCIDENTS TO THE STAT@
EVERY YEAR. MA4@RTELL SAYS THE
REPORTS
REPORTS FILED BY THE SCHOOL -- DOESN'T MATCH SCHOOL SECURITY VIDEO. SHE SAYS IT SHOWS ALEX
RUNNING DOWN THE HALL AND THEN
FIDDING WITH A DOORKNOB --4@
WHICH RESULTED IN ANOTHER FIVE4@
PERSON RESTRAINT.
I THINK A LOT OF IT COULD HAVE
BEEN PREVENTED WITH SOMETHING A@
SIMPLE4@ AS GIVING HIM SPACE AND
TIME TO CALM HIMSELF DOWN.
A REPORT DISABILITY RIGHTS MAINE
SHOWS THE PRACTICES
INCREASE SIXTY PERCENT BETWEEN
2012 AND 2018. THE NUMBERS ARE4@
EXPECTED TO BE EVEN HIGHER --
4@BECAUSE TWO OF THE STATE'S4@
LARGEST DISTRICTS PORTLAND AND
LEWISTON
LEWISTON DID NOT REPORT THEIR NUMBERS THAT YEAR. BEN JONES, DISABILITY RIGHTS
MAINE.4@
WE THINK SECLUSION SHOULD BE
BEN JONES, DISABILITY RIGHTS MAINE.4@ WE THINK SECLUSION SHOULD BE4@
BANNED OUTRIGHT,
NO ONE SAYS IT'S SAFE AND
EFFECTIVE IN ADDRESSING THE 4@
UNDERLINING BEHAVIORS AND IT'S
HAPPENING MORE AND MORE 4@
AND MORE.
AN AVERAGE OF 900 STUDENTS WITH
DIABILITIES ARE PLACED AT
SPECIAL
PURPOSE PRIVATE SCHOOLS EACH
YEAR BY THEIR DISTRICTS. THE
DATA SHOWS MORE THAN HALF OF THE
INCIDENTS ARE HAPPENING 4@AT
THESE SCHOOLS. MICHELLE
HATHAWAY IS THE DIRECTOR OF
MARGARET MURPHY CENTERS FOR
CHILDREN. 4@
THE PROGRAM HAS 7 CAMPUSES WITH
MORE THAN 200 STUDENTS
ENROLLED, AGES 2 TO 20 WITH 4@
DEVELOPMENTAL AND INTELLECTUAL
DISABILITIES. SHE SAYS A SMALL
PERCENTAGE OF THE STUDENTS ARE
AT RISK FOR SELF-INJURY OR
AGGRESSIVE BEHAVIOR,4@
CHILDREN WHO OTHERWISE WOULD BE
4@
4@ IN
4@ IN HOSPITAL PROGRAM OR IN A OUT
4@ IN HOSPITAL PROGRAM OR IN A OUT@ STATE INSTITUTION.
SHE SAYS ALL OF HER STAFF ARE
PROPERTY TRAINED4@ TO USE THE
METHODS IN EMERGENCY SITUATIONS.
SOME STUDENTS THAT
MAY INVOLVED SEVERAL HUNDRED
INCIDENTS A DAY -- INCLUDING
HOLDING A STUDENTS TO KEEP THEM
FROM HITTING4@
THEMSELVES IN THE HEAD.
MICHELLE HATHAWAY, DIR. MARGARET
MURPHY CENTER
FOR CHILDREN. 4@
18 STAFF IN ONE LOCATION NEEDED
MURPHY CENTER FOR CHILDREN. 4@ 18 STAFF IN ONE LOCATION NEEDED@
EMERGENCY MEDICAL
TREATMENT FOR INJURIES SUSTAINED
BY ONE OF THESE 18-YEAR 4@
OLD STUDENTS, THAT INCLUDED
CONCUSSIONS, STITCHES AND
BROKEN FINGERS.
IN THE MEANTIME, AN
INVESTIGATION BY THE MSAD 6
SUPERINTENDENT
FOUND THAT STAFF FOLLOWED
CERTIFIED SAFETY CARE TECHNIQUES
SUPERINTENDENT FOUND THAT STAFF FOLLOWED CERTIFIED SAFETY CARE TECHNIQUE@
TO PREVENT HIM FROM DISRUPTING4@
LEARNING AS WELL AS BEING SAFE.
THE STATE ALSO DETERMINED THE
INCIDENTS
INCIDENTS DID NOT VIOLATE STATE LAW. MARTELL TRANSFERRED ALEX FROM THE SPECIAL
EDUCATION CLASSROOM TO THE
RESOURCE ROOM IN JANUARY
-- THERE HASN'T BEEN INCIDENTS
SINCE THEN.
4@
THE BILL LAW4@MAKERS ARE
CONSIDERING WOULD REQUIRE
SCHOOLS TO MAKE MORE DETAILED
ANNUAL REPORTS. IT WOULD ALSO
REQUIRE THE STATE EDUCATION
COMMISSIONER TO REPORT TO
LAWMAKERS AND THE GOVERNOR ON
THE USE OF RESTRAINT AND
SECLUSION.4@
IS THERE OPPOSITION TO THE BILL?
THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS
SECLUSION.4@ IS THERE OPPOSITION TO THE BILL? THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION HAS@
COME OUT AGAINST IT SAYING IT IS
REDUNDANT AND DEPULICATE RULES
THAT ARE ALREADY IN PLACE. AN 4@
ORGANIZATION THAT REPRESENTS
ADMINISTRATORS FOR SERVICES
WITH CHILDREN WITH
DISABILITILEIS -- SAYS MORE
TRAINING AND
BEHAVIORAL SPECIALISTS ARE
NEEDED RATHER THAN THE BILL.
A LOT OF YOU WONDERING WHAT THE
WEATHER'S GOING TO BE