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At Wrightslaw, our mission is to help you gain the knowledge and skills you need to navigate the confusing, changing world of special education. 1. Call to Action! New York Allows Schools to Use Aversive Interventions on Children ... Including Electric Shock to Inflict Pain In June, the New York Board of Regents approved "emergency regulations" that permit all public schools to use aversive behavioral interventions and time-out rooms as consequences for behavior of disabled students. These regulations went into effect on June 23, 2006. What are "aversive behavioral interventions"? According to the New York regulations, "aversive behavioral interventions means: * noxious, painful, intrusive stimuli or activities intended to induce pain such as electric skin shock, ice applications, hitting, slapping, pinching, kicking, hurling, strangling, shoving, deep muscle squeezes That's not all. The NY state department of education described "requirements for staff supervision" and the need for "Humane and Dignified Treatment of the Student." Humane, dignified state sanctioned child abuse? The fact that these regulations were enacted on an "emergency" basis, with no public hearings or public comment, may be good news for parents. This gives parents and child advocates some time to plan and implement a strategy to persuade the policy-makers that these regulations are - inhumane. Call to Action: New York Regs Allow Schools to Use "Aversive Interventions" on Children, Including Electric Shock is available at https://www.wrightslaw.com/news/06/abuse.nys.regs.htm To learn more about these issues, download free publications, read cases, and contact advocacy groups, please go to Restraints, Physical and Sexual Abuse in Schools at https://www.wrightslaw.com/info/abuse.index.htm More Special Ed News: https://www.wrightslaw.com/news.htm 2. Online Training: Bell Curve Beta Groups ROCK! On July 12, Pete held his first demo of the Bell Curve (Tests & Measurements) online training program. Three volunteers generously gave their time, advised him of technical problems, and made suggestions about how to improve the presentation. After July 12, he held several sessions, and limited enrollment to a few individuals. Pete is on a roll! The next online training program on the Bell Curve is scheduled for Thursday, July 20 from 1:30 pm - 2:30 pm, EDT. Attendance is very limited. If you are interested or want to help, please go to the Wrightslaw WebEx Event page at https://wrightslaw.webex.com/wrightslaw/mywebex/default.php?Rnd3282=0.6326385678875439 3. Summer Schedule: Wrightslaw Programs in GA, TX, KY, PA Wrightslaw offers a variety of special education law and advocacy programs taught by nationally-known experts in the field. The Summer schedule includes these programs: July 19: Atlanta, GA - Special Education Law & Advocacy Training at the National Fragile X Foundation’s 10th International Fragile X Conference. Speakers: Pete and Pam Wright August 3: Austin, TX - Special Education Law & Advocacy Training sponsored by Texas Parent to Parent. Speakers: Wayne Steedman and Pat Howey. Nearly Sold Out! August 15: Philadelphia, PA - Special Education Law & Advocacy Training sponsored by the North Penn Special Education Council. Online Registration Now Available. Speakers: Pete and Pam Wright 4. Sample "No Restraint" Letter Please do not think restraints, time out rooms and abuse in schools is an issue that only affects New York. The improper issue of restraints and time out rooms is a serious problem around the country. Until parents recognize this and take steps to protect their children, children with disabiltites will continue to be victims of officially-sanctioned child abuse at school. What can you do to protect your child? Learn more about letter writing and paper trails. 5. Free Pub: A Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Child from Restraint, Aversive Interventions, and Seclusion One obstacle in advocating for a child with a disability is finding time to do research. We spend hours collecting information so you can spend your time learning, not searching. When you visit the Free Pubs Page, you can download publications about IEPs, special education, transition planning, reading, children's mental health, harassment, high-stakes testing, retention and social promotion, zero tolerance and discipline. The contents of the Free Pubs page change often as we add new publications. In The Name of Treatment: A Parent's Guide to Protecting Your Child From the Use of Restraint, Aversive Interventions, and Seclusion (PDF) is a free pub that includes information on restraint, aversive interventions, and seclusion. Note: This publication includes images of children being restrained. Some individuals may find these images disturbing. We did. More Free Pubs: https://www.wrightslaw.com/links/free_pubs.htm 6. Subscription & Contact Info The Special Ed Advocate is a free online newsletter about special education legal and advocacy issues, cases, and tactics and strategies. Newsletter subscribers also receive "alerts" about new cases, events, and special offers on Wrightslaw books. Subscribe Contact Info Pete and Pam Wright |
