Comments on: Padded or Concrete: The Quiet Room

By: Ron

Ron — Sat, 15 Nov 2008 07:26:50 +0000

Some kids need to be in a safe room. Bullies and violent kids a must. But a kid with a personal problem should not be. Ive seen teachers that disliked a pupil send him to another class “Special Ed” it was called then, a dumping ground for unwanted kids. Some teachers are lazy towards kids than need more help.

By: Saying No to Timeout Rooms

Saying No to Timeout Rooms — Thu, 11 Sep 2008 20:10:08 +0000

[...] “discipline” their children. Today’s Des Moines Register notes that one child was locked in timeout 64 times during his first-grade year at Waukee Elementary School in 2006; his grandparents were [...]

By: Against Restraint and Seclusion

Against Restraint and Seclusion — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 16:21:52 +0000

[...] the form of restraints like the basket hold as well as isolating measures like timeout rooms and a concrete quiet room. It might seem like “just what should be done” to control a child who’s [...]

By: spidermom

spidermom — Fri, 21 Dec 2007 04:02:41 +0000

Lisa,

I saw just how brave you were to take those pictures and talk to reporters about the padded closet on TV. I applaud you for it. Unfortunatelly, retalliation doesn’t surprise me at all and that is a problem through out the district. It is how they operate – something like a mob or a communist country would do. I hope things change in Cherry Hill, because right now it is just very, very sad, that parents who already have so much to deal with, now also have to endure a fight with their children’s schools. I just don’t get it at all.

By: Lisa Grams

Lisa Grams — Tue, 18 Dec 2007 20:38:30 +0000

Hi this goes out to all concerned parties (we really appreciate everyones support) Our President of Special Education Alliance has posted a petition http://www.thepetitionsite.com/1/cherry-hills-shame

I have had to remove my son from school due to retaliation, way to much to go into here, I had to call DYFS in over the situation. We had another meeting today demanding that it stop immediately. Cherry Hill NJ the world is watching you!

I agree with the post that directs people to Kathi Magee’s Autism blog on the Courier Post. She gives a very detailed account on what has transpired in our school district. http://www.courierpostonline.com/blogs/autism.html

Again Thank you for your support.

By: spidermom

spidermom — Thu, 13 Dec 2007 04:07:40 +0000

Cherry Hill Parent,

You should also post this story in Kathi Magee’s Autism Blog. Another one, it’s unbelievable. Believe me the Cherry Hill district has suddenly found some money to make changes – that is before authorities come to check on them. You can post it annonimously there.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 22:50:41 +0000

Thanks—I was wondering because it, in previous districts that we were in, some of the kids who had more behavior issues were offered placement out of the district, without going to court—-that would have been the case for my won; the district said that his behaviors had gotten to the point that they could not handle them. But we were not in favor of this particular out of district placement.

By: Cherry Hill parent

Cherry Hill parent — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 13:59:29 +0000

All of the parents I know with kids in out-of-district schools had to go to court to get them there. I’m assuming that there would be cases where the district might want them out if there was a severe problem (i.e. violent behavior), but I don’t know anyone who has had cooperation. That doesn’t mean they aren’t out there, I just haven’t met them or heard of them.

By: Kristina Chew, PhD

Kristina Chew, PhD — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 04:50:09 +0000

I understand if you don’t want to answer this in a public forum: Does the district send, or has it sent, a lot of autistic children to out of district placements?

By: Cherry Hill parent

Cherry Hill parent — Sat, 01 Dec 2007 02:23:22 +0000

This family can’t afford an attorney at this point in time. They hired an advocate and had an IEP meeting. They are giving the school district one final chance to do the right thing, do the necessary FBA, educational testing, and so on (which the school has finally agreed to do). If not, they will have no choice but to hire an attorney.

They aren’t happy with what the school did, but they have to wait to see if the school will finally come through. They aren’t holding their breath, but they are hoping.

They are also questioning if the DYFS referral may have been in retaliation for something that they and their advocate saw last school year (improper handling of a situation with a student by an aide or teacher). Their advocate addressed it at the time it occurred and when no one would do anything about it, he told the teachers that he’d hate to have to report the school to DYFS. The advocate pursued it further with the school principal after the meeting, when the parents had left. So, the parents are left wondering if the school reporting them to DYFS for their son’s OCD symptoms could have actually been retaliation for their advocate causing a stink with the school (and later the district) administration. I think anyone in the same situation would wonder the same thing.

They would love to see the school district implement proper training of staff in ASDs & their symptoms. They have asked for this and even told them about an assembly that can be brought to each of the schools in the district, free of charge, to teach the staff & students about ASDs.