| December 11, 2009
ISSN: 1538-3202
Subscribers: 75,173 |
In This Alert ...
New Bill: Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion Act
(H.R. 4247)
New! First "All About IEPs" Program in Florida
on January 15
Wrightslaw Way Blog
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Wrightslaw & The Special Ed Advocate
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On Wednesday, Congressman George Miller, Chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee told families, "Something is very wrong when our children are at risk of abuse or worse at school." 
Mr. Miller knew about Cedric, a 14-year old student in a special education classroom in Texas. He lived with a foster family because of a history of neglect, including malnutrition. In 2002, his teacher tried to punish Cedric by withholding food, despite the abuse he had suffered as a young child.
Cedric's teacher delayed his lunch for hours to discipline him for not doing his work. When he did not comply with her demands, the teacher put him in a face down restraint and sat on him in front of his classmates. Cedric said repeatedly that he could not breathe. He died minutes later on the classroom floor as his terrified classmates looked on.
Sadly, Cedric's story is not an isolated case.
In California, a young girl with Asperger's syndrome was restrained because she was wiggling her loose tooth. Her mother did not know that her daughter was being restrained often until her daughter came home with bruises.
Local newspapers recount horrifying stories of children tied to chairs, children's mouths taped shut, children locked in dark closets, or pinned to the floor for hours (see Teacher Fired, Isolation Room Closed, Lawsuit Pending and Physical Restraint of Medically Fragile Child).
Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion Act (H.R. 4247)
 On Wednesday, December 9, George Miller
(D-CA), chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee and Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) introduced the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act (H.R. 4247). This legislation is intended to protect children from the harmful use of restraint and seclusion at school.
As usual, the devil is in the details. Is this bill as good as it needs to be? What changes can Congress make in the Bill to improve it?
Next week, we will publish a comprehensive article about the Preventing Harmful Restraint and Seclusion in Schools Act.
If you subscribe to The Special Ed Advocate, you will receive a link to that article and additional information about this Bill.
To learn more about this proposed law, read Something is Very Wrong When Our Children Are at Risk in School on the Wrightslaw Way Blog.
Link to this Alert: https://www.wrightslaw.com/nltr/09/al.abuse.hr4247.htm
Sign up for The Special Ed Advocate today (it's free!)
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First Wrightslaw "All About IEPs Program" in Florida on
January 15, 2010 |
Wrightslaw All About IEPs is a new program (one day, five hours) that focuses on the legal requirements for IEPs and how to develop SMART IEPs. This program will be held in Orlando or Tampa - Pete is checking out conference sites now.
In the All about IEPs program, Pete Wright will teach you how the legal requirements for IEPs changed in IDEA 2004 and the federal special education regulations, how to use the Commentary to the regulations, and significant legal cases about IEPs.
You will learn how to draft SMART IEPs that are Specific,
Measurable, use Action Words, are Realistic, and Time Limited.
Your registration fee includes two books: Wrightslaw: All About IEPs (retail: $12.95) and Wrightslaw: From Emotions to Advocacy (retail: $19.95)
Wrightslaw programs are designed to meet the needs of parents, teachers, related service providers, health care professionals, social service workers, advocates, and attorneys who represent children with disabilities.
Note: All About IEPs is not about how to get schools to comply with the law. IEP compliance issues are addressed in one-day Special Education Law & Advocacy programs.
Full Schedule is at https://www.wrightslaw.com/speak/schedule.htm
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Copyright © 2009, 2010 Peter W. D. Wright and Pamela Darr Wright. All rights reserved. Please do NOT reprint or host on your web site without explicit permission.
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