WI: Teacher Charged with Disorderly Conduct for Cutting Off Child's Braid

December 14, 2009

By Jennifer Searcy

Founder/Director of Public Policy & Affairs

WISN.com reports that police have ticketed an as-yet unnamed first grade teacher at Congress Elementary School (located in Milwaukee, Wisconsin) $175 for "disorderly conduct" after the teacher admitted to cutting off one of her student's braids.

The student, seven-year old Lamya Cannon, has been described as being "angry, confused, and scared" by the incident.

Lamya reported that her teacher had called her to the front of the classroom and then proceeded to cut off one of the offending braids with a pair of classroom scissors - because the child had continued to play with the beaded braid after the teacher asked her to stop.

The child has been quoted as saying:

"I went to my desk and cried. And they was laughing. [The teacher] threw [the braid] away, and she said, 'Now what you gonna go home and say to your momma? ' And I said, 'That you cut off my hair.'"

Lamya's mother, Helen Cunningham, reportedly went to the school to confront the teacher and told the teacher, "Well you know, you cut a lot of her hair off.' And she was like, 'Well, I do apologize.' She said, 'But I was frustrated.'"

The Milwaukee Public Schools District has admitted that the teacher, who remains in the classroom, is being investigated through the district's "disciplinary process."

Milwaukee Public School's spokeswoman Roseann St. Aubin was quoted as saying,"The main thing is, from the heart of the principal, and me speaking for the district, we're very sorry that this happened."

While Lamya's mother indicated she appreciated the apology, she wanted the district to question whether the teacher should keep her job. In the meantime, Lamya has reportedly been moved to another classroom.

WISN reports that the Milwaukee police investigated the case and referred it to the district attorney for possible physical or mental abuse of a child charges, but that the district attorney's office declined filing criminal charges.

It was this decision that led police this week to issue the teacher with the $175 ticket for disorderly conduct.

For more on the story, please click the following link: http://www.wisn.com/news/21944773/detail.html

WI: Former Elmbrook student sues district over abuse

By Amy Hetzner of the Journal Sentinel

Posted: Nov. 20, 2009http://www.jsonline.com/news/education/70658277.html

A former Pilgrim Park Middle School student who claims she withstood 270 instances of abuse during the 2007-'08 school year is suing the Elmbrook School District in federal court in Milwaukee.

The student says that in one attack two fellow students beat her using track shoes with metal spikes during a track meet at Mukwonago High School in May 2008, causing 38 puncture wounds. The lawsuit, filed this week, also details an incident from June 2008, when she says three students beat her with three-foot-long tree limbs on school property.

Eventually, the perpetrators were charged with crimes for their roles in the Pilgrim Park student's abuse, according to the lawsuit.

The girl and her parents say they were forced to move out of the school district to ensure that she would not have to attend school with the students who they say were primarily responsible for the abuse. They say their move to New Berlin cost them $400,000.

They contend the Elmbrook district and its employees failed to protect the girl, who was in seventh grade at the time and had special needs, despite being informed of the abuse.

They said the girl, who is identified only as "Jane Doe" in the federal complaint, has suffered physical pain, scarring and mental health problems for which she is receiving therapy.

Elmbrook Superintendent Matt Gibson denied that the family had to leave the district. He said none of the students identified in the attacks on the girl is attending the district anymore and that there was no threat that she would have had to attend school with them again.

He also said that the students who abused the girl had been disciplined at various times throughout the school year prior to the tree-limb incident, which took place on the last day of school.

"Certainly they (the parents) raised concerns at junctures and consequences happened at junctures, but not to their satisfaction," Gibson said.

The district prevailed in previous complaints that the family filed over the incidents with the state Department of Public Instruction, Gibson said. The DPI investigated the complaints, which were dismissed in November 2008, he said.

WI: East has students on good behavior

By Christie Taylor / News Republic
November 11, 2009

http://www.wiscnews.com/bnr/news/466815

Teachers at East Elementary are trafficking in Panther Paws this year, as the school tackles student behavior with a new program designed to teach and encourage responsible, respectful, and safe habits.

This week, the students are receiving a behavioral "booster shot" from staff-produced videos reminding them of appropriate behavior in the hallways, bathrooms, lunch room, and when class is dismissed.

These "cool tools" include washing hands, walking in a single file, and respecting personal space for other students and teachers.

Students caught using their "cool tools" at the school this year are ripe for reward, Principal Glenn Bildsten said, and might find themselves given a yellow stub of paper — a "Panther Paw" — which then can confer benefits to the student’s entire class.

If a class collects 100, for example, they can choose a reward, such as a longer recess.

Fifth-grade teacher Terry Goethel said after hitting the 500-paw mark, her class was allowed to watch a movie, though she made sure it was one that related to the curriculum.

Bildsten said several other classrooms in the school had already passed the 600-paw mark.

"That’s 600 instances of positive behavior," he said. "It’s wonderful," Goethel said. "The kids really respect each other."

While she said she hadn’t necessarily had problems with behavior before this year, she liked that the new system offers consistency. Every teacher has the same rules, meaning they can help each other more with enforcement, she said.

And the Paw system, she said, gives kids a chance to work together for a reward of their choosing.

"The kids buy into it, they like it, and they’re proud of their accomplishments," Goethel said.

The Panther Paw system, though, is part of a larger intervention the school is piloting for the district, Bildsten said.

The Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports program, endorsed by the state Department of Public Instruction and already in use nationwide, is a system that will eventually also involve more personal attention for students who need extra help with behavior, as well as data tracking to pinpoint the specific areas of behavior that need more work.

Intervention for students experiencing difficulty could be as simple as having them check in with a staff member each day with a few simple behavioral goals, and then checking out at the end of the day, Bildsten said.

"Kids who maybe before were singled out for disruptive behavior, you can kind of target them and key in on them," student services director Tim Fosshage said. "Kids respond when there’s someone looking out for them."

"It’s a very simple concept that our students need clear expectations and to be taught them," Bildsten said.

Rather than assuming students know how to behave, he said, the classes are all given the same basic instructions at the beginning of the school year.

"By doing that you gain academic time in the long run," Bildsten said. "We know in a classroom, when students are prepared to learn and there are fewer disruptions, academic achievement improves."

Fosshage said the program might be adopted at other elementary schools in the district in the coming years. If so, the schools would be able to use federal special education funding which is specifically set aside for universal interventions to help train staff.

WI: Teacher accused of hitting student to appear in court

October 26, 2009

PAUL SLOTH paul.sloth@journaltimes.com | Posted: Tuesday, October 27, 2009 5:15 pm | (41) Comments

http://www.journaltimes.com/news/local/article_a22bebc0-c346-11de-b1be-001cc4c03286.html

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RACINE - A former special education teacher accused of hitting an autistic student will make her initial appearance in court this week, four months after the boy's mother made the allegations.

Rebecca F. Pranghofer, who was terminated by the Racine Unified School District earlier this month, is charged with two counts of violating the state's corporal punishment law for allegedly slapping the 12-year-old during a field trip to Downtown Racine in June.

Pranghofer is not facing criminal charges, according to the Racine County District Attorney's office. The state forfeiture action is a civil matter, like a speeding ticket, according to District Attorney Mike Nieskes.

Any penalty would not include any jail time, Nieskes said, but could include a fine. Pranghofer will appear in court Friday morning.

"The people who appear we sometimes negotiate a resolution with. If they don't show, they're forfeited," Nieskes said.

Unified officials conducted a separate investigation into the allegations and held an internal hearing involving Pranghofer, district and union officials.

The Unified School Board on Oct. 6 officially fired Pranghofer based on the recommendations from the internal hearing, according to a district spokesman.

District officials in June had placed Pranghofer on paid administrative leave from Jerstad-Agerholm Middle School, 3601 LaSalle St., after the student's mother filed charges against her.

Pranghofer had been a special education teacher at the school since 2003. She had worked in the district since 1987, according to district officials.

In addition to autism, the student is mostly non-verbal, can be aggressive and needs a one-on-one assistant. He also struggles with a number of other health issues.

At the time of the alleged incident, his mother filed a police report after meeting with school officials about the allegations.

At the time of the incident, the mother said an assistant teacher in the classroom, one of four teachers who attended the field trip, had called district officials to report that he witnessed the teacher slap the child on the face.

The mother said she heard about the alleged incident from her other son who also attended the school.

State law prohibits any kind of corporal punishment, which, according to the state's definition, includes, but is not limited to, paddling, slapping or prolonged maintenance of physically painful positions when used as a means of discipline.

In August, the state Department of Public Instruction launched an investigation into the status of Pranghofer's teaching license, according to an agency spokesman.

The investigation is ongoing and could result in the state revoking Pranghofer's teaching license.

WI: Bus Driver Accused of Exposing Himself, Sexually Assaulting Elementary Students

A 57 year old former school bus driver is being held in the Fond du Lac County Jail on allegations of exposing his genitals to a female elementary school student on his bus and sexually assaulting another student not on his bus route, according to fdlreporter.com. He was relieved of his duties "when the allegations first came in," according to Captain Steve Klein.

The as yet unnamed North Fond du Lac man, whose name is being withheld until he is formally charged, could be charged as early as Monday.

Two computers were also seized from the man's home and will be examined for possible child pornography.

Police say the man had no prior criminal record in Wisconsin.

For more information, please see the full article and related links at http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20091011/FON0101/910110480/1985

WI: Quiet rooms and special ed unfair to Native American students in Ashland

Story posted Monday at 4:41 p.m. 6/8/2009 http://www.businessnorth.com/kuws.asp?RID=2958

A state investigation says the use of so-called "quiet rooms" and special education courses in the Ashland School District targeted Native American students. Mike Simonson reports from Superior.~~

The four month Department of Public Instruction investigation says Ashland sent too many Native American students to its special ed program and to seclusion rooms in the Ashland Middle School.

Clara Taitt at the nearby Bad River Band Reservation says this practice has caused her 8 year-old son lots of pain.

"Being taken away from his peers, he doesn't like school, that nobody likes him. The DPI needs to listen to some parents who have had to struggle with their children."

Taitt doesn't think the report goes far enough. She says some teachers should be removed from the school system. Meanwhile, Ashland School Superintendent Peggy Smith says they're trying to figure out why that's happened.

"Part of the theory especially for Black and Native American students is perhaps different cultures approach learning differently than the mainstream typical school does so our responses to children's learning somehow missed the mark."

The Department of Public Instruction has ordered training and follow-up reports for some teachers and staff in the Ashland District. DPI's Anita Castro says this is serious.

"We understand these are children. We want to be sure that the seclusion room is used only when it's necessary, and that the district use positive behavior interventions, that that be the first choice."

Special summer training is schedule and the use of quiet rooms has been stopped at Ashland Middle School.

WI: Disability advocates challenge school seclusion rooms

BY SHARON ROZNIK • THE REPORTER • MAY 20, 2009

http://www.fdlreporter.com/article/20090520/FON0101/90519128/1289/FON01/Disability+advocates+challenge+school+seclusion+rooms+

Jim Schingen hopes that sharing his son’s story will put a face to new legislation calling for the restricted use of physical restraints and seclusion rooms on the disabled.

The Fond du Lac man was invited to join with Wisconsin advocacy groups in speaking out at a recent news conference held at the state Capitol. He said his son Justin, who has pervasive developmental disorder, suffered a broken elbow nine years ago when a teacher at Theisen Middle School put him in a Marine hold to restrain him.

A subsequent lawsuit filed in federal court in Milwaukee eventually was resolved with a settlement. Schingen said the experience changed the way his son was treated in school. 

“We were satisfied with the outcome,” Schingen said. “Obviously, no amount of money can compensate when someone injures your child, but it helped Justin in the long run.”

He was disturbed, however, to learn that isolation rooms were still being used — though the use is limited — for students in Fond du Lac schools.

A joint report, “Out of Darkness Into the Light,” issued this spring by Disability Rights Wisconsin, Wisconsin FACETS and Wisconsin Family Ties, states that children in Wisconsin schools and treatment settings regularly and needlessly suffer from harmful practices used to manage “challenging behavior.” Children, including a 7-year-old Rice Lake girl, have died as a result of restraint use. Others have suffered physical injuries, such as broken bones, and psychological harm, including post-traumatic stress disorder. 

The new bill, submitted for draft a couple weeks ago by Rep. Sandy Pasch, D-Whitefish Bay, calls for the use of Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS) as a safer and more effective alternative to seclusion and restraint. A psychiatric nurse, Pasch said she has seen standards change on the use of seclusion and restraints on adults and it’s time these changes affect children in Wisconsin’s schools and treatment centers. 

“Our state must address outdated or nonexistent measures that fail to adequately address the health and educational outcomes of our children,” said Pasch. “Seclusion should never be used on children. It makes much more sense to sit with them and understand the student.”

Although children with disabilities, accompanied by behavioral problems, have been mainstreamed in public schools, educators are often not given adequate training to address the problem, she said.

Schingen said in his son’s case, Justin was often secluded in a “time-out” room on the premise that it was a separate instruction room for him. 

“Initially, the room had a bean bag chair, a desk, a boom box and was used as a calming effect. As time went on, they used it for disciplinary measures and everything was removed,” he said. 

In 2000, Justin was on a bus trip and would not follow a teacher’s request that he stop tapping on the roof of the van. That was when he was placed in an arm hold used in the Marines, Schingen said. 

“That was nine years ago, so I’d rather not focus on that. Instead we need to change the laws,” Schingen said. 

Never unattended

John von Tish, director of pupil services for Fond du Lac Schools, said the district’s seclusion rooms have been physically inspected by a consultant with expertise in emotional behavioral disabilities and other health impairment programs at the Department of Public Instruction. He believes the district is already doing what the proposed law asks for — that they be used sparingly, as a last resort for the safety of everyone involved. 

“During that onsite visit, the Fond du Lac School District was found to be in compliance with all the recommendations and guidelines established by the DPI,” he said.

Attorney for Justin’s case and for Disability Rights of Wisconsin Jeff Spitzer-Resnik said there are 20 states that have statutes and regulations in place that address caregiver training, mandate reporting, and restrict the use of restraints and seclusion. He called the DPI guidelines on seclusion and restraint “a lot of text with hopeful suggestions.”

“We know there are children with behavioral and significant challenges in school. But a lot of techniques are used in situations that are not really dangerous, rather annoying and disruptive. The example for Justin is a really good one. I’m sure what he was doing was bothersome to the driver, but it wasn’t an appropriate response by the teacher to a non-violent situation,” he said. 

Von Tish said although he can’t speak about the case, which happened years ago, students in Fond du Lac Schools are never locked in rooms or left unattended. 

“We keep a log on every child indicating what behavior transpired, what happened, how long they are in a specific room, and we notify parents,” he said. “We also give students a functional behavior assessment to see if the behavior can be modified.”

Sensory break rooms are non-punitive and are used to give students a place to go before things escalate. The rooms are equipped with things like weighted blankets and vests, rockers and swings and may be dimly lit, he explained. 

“We have kids that say I need to take a break, and an adult goes with them. It’s open and kids can come and go. They can be invited to the room, or they can go there themselves. Sometimes they get scheduled on a regular basis,” he said. 

Seclusion rooms are used when “we have tried everything else and nothing can de-escalate a child,” von Tish said. The walls and floors are covered in mats and the child stays in the room only long enough to calm down.

“We try to locate the rooms close to special education classrooms. I guess there is one in every place we need it,” he said, when asked how many were located in district schools. 

Spitzer-Resnick said the bill isn’t calling for an absolute ban on techniques that need to be used in truly dangerous situations.

“Disability Rights of Wisconsin gets calls from teachers stating their principals want the kids hauled off to an ‘isolation place’ all the time. It would be more powerful if teachers could say it was against the law, that it is something that shouldn’t be done,” he said.

WI: Judge denies nun's request for early release

Associated Press
3:32 PM CST, December 12, 2008
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/chi-ap-wi-churchabuse-nun,0,5658104.story

MILWAUKEE - A Milwaukee judge has ordered an elderly nun to serve out her sentence, denying her request for an early release.

Eighty-year-old Sister Norma Giannini (gee-ah-NEE'-nee) has served eight months of her one-year jail sentence.

Her attorneys asked for Giannini's early release, citing her failing health.

The judge denied the request Friday, saying her health issues were known at sentencing, and she's receiving adequate treatment.

Giannini had pleaded no contest to two felony counts of indecent behavior with a child.

Giannini used to live with the order Sisters of Mercy of the Chicago Regional Community. The order's president says she hopes the healing has begun for the victims.

Giannini's lawyer didn't immediately return a message Friday.

Ousting autistic Scout seems hasty

Posted: Nov. 21, 2008
By Laurel Walker
http://www.jsonline.com/news/waukesha/34916909.html

Michele and Kevin Klages think the Girl Scouts ought to practice what they preach.

The Girl Scouts' Web site says the organization has "a long history of adapting activities to girls who have disabilities, special needs and chronic illnesses."

Tell that to Magi, their 8-year-old daughter, who has autism. When her parents brought her to a Girl Scout Brownie troop for girls with special needs in Oconomowoc last week - thinking it would be a good fit - the leaders told them not to bring her back after the first visit.

They were stunned, disappointed, frustrated. Now they're looking for answers from local and national headquarters. They'd like an apology, for starters.

Magi is no stranger to Girl Scouts. She was a Daisy - a beginner - with others at Park Lawn Elementary School two years ago. She graduated into the Brownie troop under the same leader last year.

Dina Johnston, her troop leader both years, said the other girls would initially stare and show concern when Magi acted out.

"After a couple of meetings they knew, oh, that's just Magi," Johnston said. "They were very comfortable with her." And Magi, who communicates primarily with sign language, grew comfortable with them.

"I think it was good to have her," Johnston said.

But when the troop grew to 22 girls, her parents, one or both of whom stay beside Magi at every meeting, decided the group was too large and moving too fast for her. She was overwhelmed.

"She asked for Brownies, and she doesn't ask for much," Michele said. "That's the reason I tried to keep her in."

The couple were told about a special needs troop in Oconomowoc, where they live, with just four girls - all with physical disabilities and two of whom she knew. Magi couldn't wait.

"When we told her the day before we were going to a new Brownie troop, she asked to go to Brownies a hundred times," said her father. "She was so excited."

Children in the confounding world of autism are wired differently. Adjusting to new and different situations can be rough, but I know from past reporting that amazing things are possible. Four years ago, I wrote about Andy Telford, a 17-year-old boy with autism who, with the incredible dedication of both parents and Scout leaders, attained the Eagle rank - something done by just 4% of all Boy Scouts.

Magi's first time at the new Brownie troop was predictably difficult, her mother said.

In the new group, with her dad beside her and her mother behind, Magi didn't like sitting in "circle time" and sharing, Michele explained. When she bit herself, her parents spoke to her. When she threw a fit, her mother pulled her off by herself. When they worked on a mat-weaving project, she did fine. At one point she got up and ran, but her dad caught up.

"That was the extent of what she did," Michele said. "It was a new experience for her. With any child with autism, it takes a few times. Routine is important."

So when a troop co-leader called them Monday and told them not to bring Magi back because of her behavior and their concern for the safety of the other girls, the Klageses were upset.

"I never expected my child to be discriminated against," Michele said. "Never in a million years." Especially, she said, from a troop leader who had a child with special needs herself.

"The Girl Scouts are not above discrimination, " she's concluded.

My attempts to reach the Brownie troop leaders failed. Molly Fuller, the CEO for the Girl Scouts of Wisconsin Southeast, said confidentiality requirements prevented her from talking about individuals, even though the Klageses were more than willing to talk about it.

"We want to serve all interested girls," said Fuller, repeating the Girl Scout mantra of inclusiveness.

Without some effort to resolve this sensibly, though, it has a hollow ring.

The Klageses spent the week trying to communicate with both local and national headquarters without satisfaction. Michele said they were told the Girl Scouts would try to find another troop for Magi, but they do not want to transport Magi distances beyond her own community for the activity and away from girls she knows. I can't say I blame them.

Michele wants the leaders removed, which sounds harsh for probably well-intentioned volunteers in a tough job, but who may have handled this situation badly. She wishes they had talked to the Klageses before making their decision and had given her daughter time to get acclimated, which sounds reasonable.

It would have been a good chance for the Klageses to educate the leaders and the other Brownies about autism, she said, while at the same time getting educated themselves about the special needs of the other troop members.

Maybe it's not too late to start again.

Call Laurel Walker at (262) 650-3183 or e-mail lwalker@journalsent inel.com

In Defense of Waukee Elementary School?

Reposted from Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
by Jennifer SearcyCo-Founder/Contributing Editor
Families Against Restraint and Seclusion/PA Families Against Restraint and Seclusion

A number of individuals have been writing responses defending the actions of the Waukee Elementary School - that this was a "new" behavioral intervention, that teachers were unfamiliar with it, and that had Isabel's parents only sent Isabel to school the next day, staff would have followed a "new, different procedure," supposedly one that was more appropriate.

Reading through all these defenses, I felt compelled to write a "defense" for Waukee of my own. Please bear with me a moment, and just continue reading.

For arguments sake, let's agree that the "time out room" was appropriate to prevent this little girl from harming herself or others, because if used differently it could very well have been appropriate ("could" not necessarily "would" - and I'll explain how a little later).

We'll also ignore the fact that this room is where the child began her day - that the chair, desk, and any educational materials that may have been in the room were removed to turn this room into a "time out room."

I'll also concede that this was amongst the first days that this "intervention" had been used (though I seriously doubt it, only by the fact that that child knew EXACTLY what was expected of her and acting accordingly), and staff members were in a "trial and error" process to see how successful this type of intervention would be, so I'll give them some leeway for that (though I shouldn't because it is the legal responsibility of schools to supply and provide "highly qualified" - ie. well trained - staff), and we'll also ignore the fact that the little girl knew EXACTLY how she was expected to sit to show she was ready to show "compliance," which was with her legs folded in the middle of the floor, as indicated in the little girl's behavior plan - and the fact that she attempted to show IMMEDIATE compliance when first locked in that empty windowless room and attempted to show "compliance" by sitting as instructed over and over again during the course of those 3.5 hours.

What can't be ignored is that she was locked in that room for over 3 HOURS!!!!

When staff noticed that the "intervention" was "not working," they were obligated to abandon this intervention or modify this intervention. If this little girl was such a problem, so violent and out of control (yeah, that's EXACTLY how she looked when first placed there in the video) the parents should have and could have been called, perhaps they could have been asked to take her home until a more appropriate plan could be decided upon (though this is not a recommended "intervention" either, because behaviors may be repeated or escalate to get the desired reward, "going home"), and an emergency IEP meeting to reopen the behavior plan should have been requested.

Now, this could have been a success - had staff done the following:

Been trained in the use of how this intervention would work and to recognize that as soon as that little girl sat down on the floor calmly in the manner in which she had been instructed, that she WAS COMPLYING with her behavior plan.

She was no longer a threat to herself or others - which is what the use of seclusion was for - and she should have been rewarded for being compliant - ie. praised or thanked for sitting where she was supposed to, etc. to reinforce this desired behavior. This isn't rocket science but common sense.

Instead, sadistic staff kept that little girl locked up because she didn't sit still for a specified length of time.

Neurologically, developmentally, and according to baseline data that SHOULD HAVE BEEN COLLECTED IN ADVANCE, this child may not have been physically able to sit for that specified length of time.

Again, that child showed IMMEDIATE compliance and was no longer a threat, and should have IMMEDIATELY been removed from that environment.

The parents did NOTHING wrong by removing that child from school nor giving the school a chance to "correct their problem."

These are children we're talking about here and what they did to her was abuse - no excuses needed nor required. It is because the family removed the child from school and exposed this practice that may hopefully bring about change. Had the family not removed her, they would have been condoning the actions of the school, and the school would have no motivation for changing their actions.

Put simply, I don't believe there was a plan to rectify this situation because personal experience with a similar-minded school indicates otherwise.

As a parent, I must put my faith in those professionals whom my tax dollars pay to educate my children. I must trust that staff are appropriately trained to educate ALL children, not just those on the autism spectrum or with specific disabilities, and that my child will not come to harm by being in a public school, as is her legal right.

Unfortunately, my child, who also has epilepsy and has had life-threatening seizures, was RESTRAINED in a public SCHOOL while in SECLUSION.

According to my state laws, this is ILLEGAL and is morally and ethically wrong.

Her neurologist has agreed that it is unsafe to return her to her school district. UNSAFE!

Because staff and administrators will not take advantage of FREE TRAINING offered by my state nor guarantee they will abandon these illegal practices.

I hope and pray no one else has to go through what my child and my family have been through, but I know that hopes and prayers are not enough.

More than that, I'm actively trying to do something to change how our "educational system" operates, just as this family is by coming forward with their "story."

Therefore, I will stand beside beside these parents in their fight against those who feel that schools should be allowed to continue with these barbaric practices in the name of "appropriate education" and will continue to fight this prejudice and injustice with every fiber in my being.

I can only hope that others will join us.

For anyone interested, you can read the transcript of the 10 day testimony, and subsequent judgment clearly in favor of the parents here:

http://www.iowa.gov/educate/images/stories/seappeals/isabel_l_24.pdf

Note about the author:

Jennifer Searcy is the mother of four daughters, ages seven through 13. Her nine year old daughter was diagnosed with epilespy at 15 months and PDDNOS by age 2 1/2. This daughter was illegally and inappropriately restrained in a public school on October 17, 2006 at age 7.

She is also a graduate of Pennsylvania State University, holding a bachelor of science degree in Human Development and Family Studies with a minor in psychology, and was a co-founder of Families Against Restraint and Seclusion and Pennsylvania Families Against Restraint and Seclusion. She is currently the Founder and Director of Public Policy and Affairs for The Coalition for Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports.