More stuff you just cannot make up

[vaskidmark]

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/12/22/school-accused-of-putting_0_n_1166541.html?icid=maing-grid10%7Chtmlws-main-bb%7Cdl1%7Csec3_lnk1%26pLid%3D122538

LOUISVILLE, Ky. -- A 9-year-old autistic boy who misbehaved at school was stuffed into a duffel bag and the drawstring pulled tight, according to his mother, who said she found him wiggling inside as a teacher's aide stood by. ....

In Kentucky, there are no laws on using restraint or seclusion in public schools, according to documents on the state Department of Education's website.

A July letter from the state agency to special education directors said the state had investigated two informal complaints this year.  In one, "a student (was) nearly asphyxiated while being restrained," and in the other, a student vomited from panic attacks after spending most of an academic year "confined to a closet, with no ventilation or outside source of light," according to the letter..

I have not reviewed the laws on special education in a long number of years, but something tells me that at least two of these incidents are going to be the cause of some major grief for the school system where they occurred.  How folks can think they will be able to get away with these sorts of things utterly baffles my mind.  I try to think back to when I worked CPS and the things parents would do out of complete and utter frustration and try to see if these teachers/teachers aides might be operating from some sort of similar position, but am stopped dead in my tracks by the fact they have so many resources available to them for relief of frustration in dealing with a child who has become more than they might be able to cope with at the moment.

All I come up with is that they are dumbasses.

stay safe.

[zxcvbob]

If there is no *legal* recourse, that opens up other kinds of other possibilities.  (oh, grow up. Ben Franklin said basically the same thing.)  SSS

[Monkeyleg]

I'm thinking that this sort of punishment, for a kid, probably comes close to the level of terror an adult feels when waterboarded. Just guessing, but I don't think it's out of the realm of the possible.

If so, those kids and their parents will be rich, and the school system (or rather the taxpayers) much poorer.

[Perd Hapley]

An autistic kid, and they put him in a duffel bag? Maybe the teacher just watched that Temple Grandin biopic.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hug_machine

A hug machine, also known as a hug box, a squeeze machine, or a squeeze box, is a deep-pressure device designed to calm hyper-sensitive persons, usually individuals with autism spectrum disorders. The therapeutic, stress-relieving device was invented by Temple Grandin in 1965.

Autism and autism-spectrum disorders have profound effects upon both social interactions and sensitivity to sensory stimulation in persons with such conditions, often making it uncomfortable or impractical for them to turn to other human beings for comfort. Grandin solved this by designing the hug machine so both she and others could turn to it for sensory relief, whenever needed or simply desired.

Disclaimer: I'm not prescribing hug machine therapy or defending the duffel bag incident. It's just that, well, I myself recently watched the Temple Grandin biopic, so that's what came to mind.

[MicroBalrog]

I'm trying to figure out what I would do as an adult if someone tried to put me in a bag. I bet it'd be fairly nasty.

[JonnyB]

I'm trying to figure out what I would do as an adult if someone tried to put me in a bag. I bet it'd be fairly nasty.

If it didn't work out before you went in the bag, there would be plenty of time for planning after. 

jb

[Perd Hapley]

If it didn't work out before you went in the bag, there would be plenty of time for planning after.  

jb

Until they chain a few cinder blocks to the bag and dump you in the East River/Lake Michigan.

[vaskidmark]

Until they chain a few cinder blocks to the bag and dump you in the East River/Lake Michigan.

Too bad they cleaned up Lake Erie - being dumped there used to rsult in cremation.

And unless there is more to "he smirked and threw the ball across the room" putting him in a duffle bag does seem just a tad bit of an overreaction.

stay safe.

[MicroBalrog]

Too bad they cleaned up Lake Erie - being dumped there used to rsult in cremation.

And unless there is more to "he smirked and threw the ball across the room" putting him in a duffle bag does seem just a tad bit of an overreaction.

stay safe.

I'm trying to figure out what exactly would not be an overreaction that a nine-year-old could be reasonably stuffed in a bag for.

Short of stabbing someone.

[Monkeyleg]

Short of stabbing someone.

I think a decent attorney could win a civil suit against the authorities for violation of the kid's civil rights even if he did stab someone.

[MicroBalrog]

I think a decent attorney could win a civil suit against the authorities for violation of the kid's civil rights even if he did stab someone.

With a nine-year-old kid involved? Quite likely.

[MechAg94]

In Kentucky, there are no laws on using restraint or seclusion in public schools, according to documents on the state Department of Education's website.

Help me here, just because the law does not specifically say those things are not allowed, why does that make it okay and not child abuse?  

Also, how could a kid be confined to a closet at school for most of a year and no one knows about it or takes action?

[Tallpine]

I dunno what the world's coming to .... 

Back in my day kids were stuffed into empty feed sacks 

[wmenorr67]

I dunno what the world's coming to .... 

Back in my day kids were stuffed into empty feed sacks 

I thought that was what their clothes were made of.

[vaskidmark]

I dunno what the world's coming to .... 

Back in my day kids were stuffed into empty feed sacks 

Are you perhaps confusing kids with puppies or kittens?

stay safe.

[Gowen]

My sister is a special ed teacher.  She said once while student teaching, the Governor came to the school and they had to tie the hands of many the mentally handicapped kids to the arms of their wheelchairs.  This was to prevent them from masturbating in front of the Governor.

[Tallpine]

Are you perhaps confusing kids with puppies or kittens?

stay safe.

Nah, puppies and kittens are cuter