Parents of Churchill HS Student with Autism Sue After Child is Restrained, Put in Handcuffs

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Maybe the parents should consider homeschooling for a while.

Maybe you should learn something about the mandate to provide children with a Free and Appropriate public education before writing stupid posts.

Maybe you should learn something about the rights of all children in that bus and that school to be safe before writing stupid posts.

every kid on that bus had special needs. none of them are served by the county's negligence in failing to properly hire and train staff.

[Anonymous]

I read the article, and they lost me at their request for $225,000 for the pain and suffering of this single brief incident. The student was not injured. I can see pushing the system for more training for their bus aides, but why would this deserve so much money?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the video evidence will be key.

Years ago, my daughter was in the hallway at Churchill and she was hit in the face for no reason by a child in the Bridge program. There were two paraeducators present but it happened so fast that the staff could not restrain the kid. My kid was hit hard enough that she needed medical attention and had a concussion.

That's crazy.

Did you sue the parents?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the video evidence will be key.

Years ago, my daughter was in the hallway at Churchill and she was hit in the face for no reason by a child in the Bridge program. There were two paraeducators present but it happened so fast that the staff could not restrain the kid. My kid was hit hard enough that she needed medical attention and had a concussion.

That's crazy.

Did you sue the parents?

No and I didn't sue the school. My daughter said that the boy laughed after he hit her. She could tell that he was Special Needs and that he was just a big kid (over 200 lbs.) who didn't understand what he was doing. The paraeducators (2 assigned because this child had a history) were apologetic. I put myself in their shoes and thought I would not have been able to stop him from hitting a random kid. My child was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The incident was written up because of MCPS procedures. I let the school and parents work out what the reprocussions for the child should be. There's no easy answers for what to do with a child like that.

On other occasions, my child saw a high functioning autistic girl who was mistreated by staff which caused her behavior to escalate at times necessitating a class to evacuate till her parents could pick her up. The girl would get nervous during tests so she would hum and the teacher or special ed staff would ask her to be quiet. The girl would get more nervous then hum louder causing the teacher to yell. Then it escalated to a full blown temper tantrum on the floor. The girl needed her own space for assessments and the problems could have been avoided. This was a regular class setting, not the Bridge program.

I think the video will be key to show the behavior of the staff and the student. It's sad that a solution could not be reached between the family and school system without a lawsuit. No one wins.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think the video evidence will be key.

Years ago, my daughter was in the hallway at Churchill and she was hit in the face for no reason by a child in the Bridge program. There were two paraeducators present but it happened so fast that the staff could not restrain the kid. My kid was hit hard enough that she needed medical attention and had a concussion.

That's crazy.

Did you sue the parents?

No and I didn't sue the school. My daughter said that the boy laughed after he hit her. She could tell that he was Special Needs and that he was just a big kid (over 200 lbs.) who didn't understand what he was doing. The paraeducators (2 assigned because this child had a history) were apologetic. I put myself in their shoes and thought I would not have been able to stop him from hitting a random kid. My child was just in the wrong place at the wrong time.

The incident was written up because of MCPS procedures. I let the school and parents work out what the reprocussions for the child should be. There's no easy answers for what to do with a child like that.

On other occasions, my child saw a high functioning autistic girl who was mistreated by staff which caused her behavior to escalate at times necessitating a class to evacuate till her parents could pick her up. The girl would get nervous during tests so she would hum and the teacher or special ed staff would ask her to be quiet. The girl would get more nervous then hum louder causing the teacher to yell. Then it escalated to a full blown temper tantrum on the floor. The girl needed her own space for assessments and the problems could have been avoided. This was a regular class setting, not the Bridge program.

I think the video will be key to show the behavior of the staff and the student. It's sad that a solution could not be reached between the family and school system without a lawsuit. No one wins.

You sound like a very lovely, empathetic family

[Anonymous]

Churchill has a couple of programs that serve autistic kids: the “autism” program for kids on the certificate track, and the Bridge program for kids who may be on the diploma track with complex learning and behavioral needs. (And of course there could be autistic kids in the regular classrooms).
If an autistic kid aggresses against a random stranger in the hallway with no warning, it can mean one of several things: 1. Staff hasn’t been properly trained in recognizing signs that behavior is escalating. 2. Particular student May need a smaller setting or to change classes when the halls are empty. 3. Behavior plan isn’t working and needs to be revised.
Behavior=communication. If the kid on the bus was distressed, the right way to respond is NOT to yell at him to shut up and sit down.
Episodes like these just make the public fear that autistic individuals are just randomly violent for no reason, when the reality is they are more likely to be victims.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote: Churchill has a couple of programs that serve autistic kids: the “autism” program for kids on the certificate track, and the Bridge program for kids who may be on the diploma track with complex learning and behavioral needs. (And of course there could be autistic kids in the regular classrooms).
If an autistic kid aggresses against a random stranger in the hallway with no warning, it can mean one of several things: 1. Staff hasn’t been properly trained in recognizing signs that behavior is escalating. 2. Particular student May need a smaller setting or to change classes when the halls are empty. 3. Behavior plan isn’t working and needs to be revised.
Behavior=communication. If the kid on the bus was distressed, the right way to respond is NOT to yell at him to shut up and sit down.
Episodes like these just make the public fear that autistic individuals are just randomly violent for no reason, when the reality is they are more likely to be victims.

The child that hit my daughter may have had these supports. However, the halls of a large public high school are never 100% empty. My daughter had a hall pass and was in the hallway at a time most students were in class.

I agree there are supports that can minimize episodes and there are things like yelling that can exacerbate episodes. However, sometimes a child can do something that the staff can't anticipate or control. For the child whose parent is suing MCPS, the video will show what happened.

[Anonymous]

My daughter had food thrown at here by a special needs kids and she had no issues. This is what happens when you mainstream kids. Busing is not a constitutional right. Perhaps Mommy and Daddy can just drive the kid to school instead of suing for millions so they can buy a mansion in Palm Beach

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had food thrown at here by a special needs kids and she had no issues. This is what happens when you mainstream kids. Busing is not a constitutional right. Perhaps Mommy and Daddy can just drive the kid to school instead of suing for millions so they can buy a mansion in Palm Beach

This This This

[Anonymous]

I think that the data show that mainstreaming doesn't lead to better outcomes. Why are we spending so much money on something that doesn't work? I think all of these children would be better served in a facility that can cater to their special needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had food thrown at here by a special needs kids and she had no issues. This is what happens when you mainstream kids. Busing is not a constitutional right. Perhaps Mommy and Daddy can just drive the kid to school instead of suing for millions so they can buy a mansion in Palm Beach

For children with disabilities, the right to be transported to and from school falls under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA. Children with disabilities have an equal right to be able to access the curriculum. If they are in a wheelchair or have needs that require a special bus and aide or even if their home is in Silver Spring so the distance is a barrier, MCPS is required to provide transportation so the child can access his/her education.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think that the data show that mainstreaming doesn't lead to better outcomes. Why are we spending so much money on something that doesn't work? I think all of these children would be better served in a facility that can cater to their special needs.

You don't sound particularly well informed, but please do share your data that mainstreaming doesn't lead to better outcomes. And if you're complaining about how mainstreaming children with special needs is expensive, you should educate yourself about the cost of special needs facilities which can easily reach 45-60K/year. That's why MCPS fights parents tooth and nails who ask for private placements when MCPS isn't doing a good job serving their needs.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had food thrown at here by a special needs kids and she had no issues. This is what happens when you mainstream kids. Busing is not a constitutional right. Perhaps Mommy and Daddy can just drive the kid to school instead of suing for millions so they can buy a mansion in Palm Beach

For children with disabilities, the right to be transported to and from school falls under Section 504 and Title II of the ADA. Children with disabilities have an equal right to be able to access the curriculum. If they are in a wheelchair or have needs that require a special bus and aide or even if their home is in Silver Spring so the distance is a barrier, MCPS is required to provide transportation so the child can access his/her education.

+1 So much ignorance, insensitivity, bigotry and stupidity on this thread.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:My daughter had food thrown at here by a special needs kids and she had no issues. This is what happens when you mainstream kids. Busing is not a constitutional right. Perhaps Mommy and Daddy can just drive the kid to school instead of suing for millions so they can buy a mansion in Palm Beach

This This This

Not a constitutional right, but it is a right guaranteed by federal law.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think that the data show that mainstreaming doesn't lead to better outcomes. Why are we spending so much money on something that doesn't work? I think all of these children would be better served in a facility that can cater to their special needs.

You don't sound particularly well informed, but please do share your data that mainstreaming doesn't lead to better outcomes. And if you're complaining about how mainstreaming children with special needs is expensive, you should educate yourself about the cost of special needs facilities which can easily reach 45-60K/year. That's why MCPS fights parents tooth and nails who ask for private placements when MCPS isn't doing a good job serving their needs.

+1 There's a wide range of abilities of students at Winston Churchill High School. I think there should be more interaction of students with special needs, not less, because all children can learn from each other's challenges and strengths. Children should learn empathy and understanding of others. I think Churchill doesn’t do enough to blend students. The Bridge Program is a school within a school so there are few opportunities for mainstream students and Bridge students to interact with one another.