Video: Ala. children secluded and restrained in classrooms

The Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program found 12 cases in the last three years where restraint and seclusion were used in the classroom.  In a majority of cases the student and/or the teacher were injured. 

Child reading book, “In school, we are learning about garbage”

As her mom and baby sister look on, this 8 year old is reading, “Where Does the Garbage Go?“

Child read, “There’s 20% tires, 10% glass”

This mom, we’ll call “Katie”, has asked us to shield her face and the faces of her children.  That’s because in the first grade, her daughter was secluded in a time-out closet.  This is how the 8 year old described it.

8 Year Old placed in time out closet said, “I have to sit there quietly, and five minutes start and when the alarm clock beeps, I can come out”

“Katie” knows her autistic child can be disruptive in the classroom.  The first time she heard of the time-out closet was when her daughter was in the first grade.  When the school called her about the incident, her daughter had been secluded for hours.

“Katie” said, “She was just in freak out panic mode, she was stuck in this room for almost two hours at this point.“

To protect the school system and “Katie”‘s 8 year old daughter we won’t tell you where she attends school however this is the building behind me.  “Katie” just wants things to change when the new school year begins, that’s why she contacted ADAP in Tuscaloosa.

ADAP Staff Attorney, Nancy Anderson said, “I want parents to know, no, it’s not normal for a child to be restrained in school.“

ADAP or Alabama Disabilities Advocacy Program is a federally funded not for profit law office. It protects the civil rights of people with disabilities.

Anderson said, “We get a lot of reports about children being handcuffed.“

Over a three year period, ADAP found 12 such cases of seclusion and restraint.  It’s goal - get legislators to change laws to protect children with disabilities in the classroom and help school districts properly train staff.

Anderson said, “So yes get rid of certain types of restraints, make sure if they are done they are only done in emergency situations where somebody is going to get hurt.“

“Katie” has similar goals for her daughter…

Katie said, “I want to work with them, I’m not working against them, at the same time, I’ve been trying to do that, I feel like a long time now and I just keep getting the run around.“

“Katie” hopes ADAP will get her daughter the help she needs in the classroom.