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Parents protest use of padded rooms in Francis Howell schools


Raymond Castile photo -- A "timeout" room at Hollenbeck Middle School has padded walls and a padded door.

By Raymond Castile
Thursday, February 19, 2009 10:43 AM CST


Three parents are accusing the Francis Howell School District of mistreating children with disabilities by confining them in small, padded rooms.

The parents leveled the allegations during a news conference Wednesday. They were accompanied by attorneys from Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, a federally funded public interest law firm.

Sharon and Ben VonHarz said their son, who has autism, suffered bruises after being confined in a closet-like room at Hollenbeck Middle School. Ange Hemmer said her son, who has autism, was placed in a similar room at Fairmount Elementary School.

Francis Howell Superintendent Renee Schuster said the district used the "timeout" rooms only when a student was a danger to himself or others. The padding is there to protect the child, Schuster said. One or two adults watch the child at all times, she said. Sometimes one adult is inside the room with the child while another adult watches outside through a window in the door.

Attorney Susan Bartlett said the district is denying the firm access to Hollenbeck to investigate the allegations. Bartlett said she will pursue litigation to gain access to the school and determine whether the district broke federal laws.



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Administrators in the St. Charles, Fort Zumwalt and Wentzville school districts said they use some form of timeout rooms, and that they were common practice throughout the education field. The Orchard Farm School District does not use any form of timeout rooms, an administrator said.

Byron Koster, senior advocate with Missouri Protection and Advocacy Services, said seclusion rooms should not be used at all. They result in kids with disabilities being treated differently than other kids and prevent them from learning appropriate behavior, he said.

Watch for more coverage of timeout rooms in Sunday’s Journal.

 
 
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Comments

12 comment(s)

 

WatchDog4545 wrote on Mar 5, 2009 8:13 PM:

" stlblues42....We really should not assume these folks no much of anything. Many of my friends teacher for Howell...actually the higher up the ladder someone goes the less they seem to know. "

stlblues42 wrote on Mar 5, 2009 12:36 PM:

" I realize that people are shocked because they didn't know the rooms existed but one of the articles I read said the district has been using them for over 20 years. Maybe you should invest more time in your school and you would know these types of things.

All of you people who are outraged at these rooms don't realize that they are only used for kids with special needs when they become a danger to themselves or other kids in the classroom. Don't forget that the parents of the special needs students AGREED to allow the district to use the room for their kid.

Some have mentioned that if the district is unable to care for these types of kids then they should have to provide them with an appropriate private education. Who do you think pays for that? That's right, the tax payer.

If these rooms are banned, what is the alternative? Paying for a private education with public funds, calling the parent to pick up their kid every time they act out, sending them to the hospital?

I think that Francis Howell is doing the best they can with what they have and working hard to mainstream special needs kids. Don't get me wrong, I think that there needs to be strict regulation on the use of these rooms, but it sounds like Francis Howell does. "

dreamer wrote on Mar 2, 2009 5:58 PM:

" I been living in st charles county 17yrs grandson started finished in fort zumwalt dist this is the first i ever heard of any such rooms.this is school not mental wards "

kd wrote on Feb 24, 2009 10:23 AM:

" Why arent the liberals complaining about this, because its them doing it. I'm sure its easier to sleep or spread the liberal agenda if those kids are locked up. "

cheesepie wrote on Feb 23, 2009 10:32 PM:

" INVESTIGATE INVESTIGATE INVESTIGATE!

FRANCIS HOWELL SCHOOL DIST IN MY OPINION SHOULD BE INVESTIGATED ASAP! Too many things are "NOT" adding up! "

dan wrote on Feb 23, 2009 2:10 PM:

" Kobie writes: "It is about the physical protection of the student, other students, and employees. . . . Private education is always an option."

Kobie, under the law, if the school district thinks that these kids are so disruptive that they cannot handle them in a humane and nondiscriminatory way in the public schools, then the school district must PAY to place them in what it thinks is an appropriate private school. I agree this should be an option for these parents, as the school district obviously is incapable of educating their kids in accord with federal law. "

achefsgarden wrote on Feb 22, 2009 1:00 PM:

" Why do children who behave at school have to deal with this issue? If the kids can't behave, their parents need to be responsible parents and put them in a school that deals with their children’s issues. Why suddenly now are these rooms a problem? It seems they have been used in most of the schools for some time. The parents had to sign a consent form. You can always find something to complain about. I could complain about your special needs children interfering with my child’s education...what now? "

Emily wrote on Feb 20, 2009 9:33 PM:

" With all due respect to "Kobie" here, I can also invite you and any other "professional" to come be a parent of an Autistic child for a day. We can all ponder what it would be like in another's shoes,I suppose. However, the fact is that home is generally less structured than school and there are not 4-6 adults watching and working with the child, thus it is going to be much more challenging and much more demanding. We are not even mentioning here that most parents of disabled children are often told how to do things and what to do at every turn regarding their children by strangers albeit "professional" strangers. I am not a professional in academia, but I am a professional in the area of law. I can tell you that the "padded" "safe" closet shown here is not being used properly, legally, or ethically. This is not a behavioral procedure to be used in a public school. If a child was bruised while in this "safe" padded room, there is obviously something very, very wrong. I can and will continue to criticize a school district that insists there is nothing wrong with this practice. I can criticize it because I know for a fact that this is a practice inappropriate for use anywhere other than a mental institution, and even in those places, people are not quick to use them because practices in institutions are becoming more humane and modern treatments and procedures been enacted. "

WatchDog4545 wrote on Feb 20, 2009 8:45 PM:

" As a former special education teacher of Francis Howell I want to be the first to tell you that many teachers are afraid of central office administrators. When I worked there I reported (not to the families) but to building administration and central office special ed cocrdinators that my special needs students IEP's were not being followed. Instead of insisting the IEP's be followed they choose to get rid of the bell-ringer. That bell-ringer happened to be me. I believe the district's top administators are better at being self-serving than serving our children. "

angeh wrote on Feb 20, 2009 12:08 PM:

" I have documentation as does the other family. I have tried other means besides media from DESE to meeting with administrators and legislators for three years *and nothing changed.* There is not a district policy or state or federal laws protecting these children in public schools (there are laws for similar rooms/methods used in mental institutions). Whether or not people agree with these rooms or restraint, they should realize when it comes to this, safety should be regulated somehow and there should be monitoring and accountability. "

kobie wrote on Feb 20, 2009 7:05 AM:

" As an educator I would like to invite those who want to be critical of a district that is trying to keep children with disabilities safe to experience a day a special needs educator experiences. I subbed in the Francis Howell district for many years and only saw these rooms used as a last resort. It is about the physical protection of the student, other students, and employees. These children have different needs than those in the general population of students. Unless there is proof of abuse this should be a non issue. Private education is always an option. "

Emily wrote on Feb 19, 2009 8:39 PM:

" This is an outrage. First of all, these padded rooms are used in mental hospitals for the most severe of cases. The floors are padded in those cases and actualmedical professionals have to oversee the use of this practice. Another thing is that a parent or legal guardian of the patient must first sign for permission to be able to use this. Public schools are not mental institutions and federal and state laws regarding students with disabilities state that every child is entitled to a free and appropriate public education, including the least restrictive environment and inclusion. This is such a violation. I am dsgusted as a parent and as a professional. "

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