Abuse in special education explained

Abuse in special education usually refers to the use of restraint and seclusion, but can also refer to students being threatened with violence or staff withholding food. This abuse often leaves students with trauma and can leave the parents feeling guilt for the abuse.^{[1] [2] [3] [4]}

Restraints as abuse

Many students have gone home with bruises from being restrained by staff often without being properly reported and leaving the student with trauma.^{[5] [6]}

Seclusion as abuse

Students are often locked in what are called seclusion rooms or padded cells. In 2015, an 8-year-old student at a Maryland school was dragged down his school's hallways by three staff members and locked in a windowless seclusion room; he was later found laying in his own blood.^[7]

Notes and References

1. Web site: Waldrop . Hollie Silverman,Theresa . 2019-08-19 . A former West Virginia teacher and 2 aides were arrested after alleged abuse was caught on secret recordings . 2024-04-28 . CNN . en.
2. Web site: Desk . JOCE STERMAN, ALEX BRAUER and ANDREA NEJMAN The National . 2022-03-21 . Kids locked away, held down: Investigating 'seclusion & restraint' practices at schools . 2024-04-28 . WZTV . en.
3. Web site: 'I'm not safe here': Schools ignore federal rules on restraint and seclusion . January 16, 2024. NPR.
4. Web site: 2022-08-23 . Civil Rights Division Seclusion Enforcement – Recent Investigations . 2024-04-28 . www.justice.gov . en.
5. Web site: 2018-11-23 . Thirteen-year-old activist with autism wants to close seclusion rooms at schools . 2024-05-19 . NBC News . en.
6. Chieze . Marie . Hurst . Samia . Kaiser . Stefan . Sentissi . Othman . 2019-07-16 . Effects of Seclusion and Restraint in Adult Psychiatry: A Systematic Review . Frontiers in Psychiatry . 10 . 491 . 10.3389/fpsyt.2019.00491 . free . 1664-0640 . 6673758 . 31404294.
7. Web site: Lambert . Diana . Lawsuit challenges use of restraint, seclusion in California special education school . 2024-04-29 . EdSource . en.