There are certainly a lot of questions that need to be answered about the use of the so-called "scream rooms". Speaking as someone who has a child in the school system and has had occasion to meet and speak with school principals, teachers and other professionals, I firmly believe that each and every one of them has always had the best interest of their students at heart.
Its really time for some parents to put this rampant emotionalism aside and stop making wild accusations against Principal Girard and others in the administration.
We need to have these questions asked and answered in a calm and rational manner:
What is the state law in regards to handling disruptive elementary school students and was that law being followed?
If a disruptive student can't be mainstreamed' then what are the alternatives to educate him/her and were those alternatives being used ?
If the state law was not being followed, was it because of budgetary contraints or other reasons?
No one has come forward and said that their child was physically or emotionally abused in the time out rooms. If a disruptive student chose to scream to let off steam, I seriously doubt that the room monitor could do much to stop him.
This entire incident is beginning to look like a witch hunt, with people jamming the Borad of Ed meetings , sneering, wild eyed, without a shread of proof to support their accusations. Enough is enough.

I can't imagine being in her position. The pressure must be incapacitating. While it is probably best that she gets away from the situation, it doesn't seem like it was all her fault. A nice person caught in a difficult (impossible?) situation.

Maybe things will improve with the additional staff the administration has added. There is no magic wand that is going to make everything right tomorrow.

The state and the feds might subpoena some teachers and break the silence on what is going on inside Farm Hill, and likely the same is true many other places. This administration has a reputation for being less than transparent (putting it mildly). There is wide-ranging ignorance of what goes on inside our schools today. Maybe this is one of those teachable moments?

In reference to the woman who is circulating the petition to fire the three administrators who she deems responsible for a laundry list of so called misdeeds. Do you have any idea what you're doing? You are trying to have three fine professionals, people who have given their entire lives to helping children, terminated simply on your own suspicions and unhappiness with the system. These people all have families, mortgages and need to get paid to eat just like you. They have not been charged or even accused of any wrong doing (except for you) and yet you are screaming for them to be thrown out of work. You want them to be financially and emotionally slapped,just on your say so. If you haven't noticed, this is America. We have a thing called due-process. Innocent untill proven guilty. There are investigations under way to determine if any wrong doing occurred. How would you like it if a bunch of hysterical people were circulating a petition, calling for you or your husband to be fired just because they suspected you may have done something wrong?

When I was teaching teachers in a special education program at the university level,
My caveat to them when intervening with children - especially children with disabliities -
You can be fairly certain that you will use common sense when speaking and interacting with a child --> IF YOU THINK - "WHAT WOULD HAPPEN IF A 60 MINUTE CAMERA CREW WAS TAPING ME RIGHT NOW."
Whatever else might be a problem with the children, restraint, seclusion, and physical force are usually unnecessary when staff is carefully trained. Using restraint and seclusion always puts a child with a disability at-risk of injury.
Middletown Schools are fortunate that a child didn't get severly hurt or even killed.
Rosarius Leonardi

Oh, come on Roy. No restraints are ever used in the school system. As for the time out rooms,they are there to give a safe place for troubled students to vent without disrupting the education of the other students. " A student hurt or even killed". Your kind of hyperboli only serves to fuel the passions of a few people who are having a feeding frenzy at the expense of some very talented professional's careers and adds nothing to intelligent conversation.

There have been congessional hearings concerning the use of restraint & seclusion of children with disabilities. When I spoke at a national autism conference on the danger that schools pose to children with disabilities, the room was packed.
R. Leonardi

Well good for you, Roy. I don't see how any of that applies to the current situation at Farm Hill, but OK.

And Roy witnessed all of this at Farm Hill? Did he also witness the kids who have been punched and kicked by "disruptive" students? So it isn't OK to physically restrain a child but it is OK for a child to physically injure another? Makes sense.

I did not witness this!!! However, there are plenty of witnesses - parents & children - who identify the where, when, when, and how of the abuse. The fact that it is called a "scream room" should offer clear indications of how the room was utilized.
Rosarius Leonardi

If a child poses a threat to my child I don't care if they have to Taze him to protect her and others. ALL students have the right to be in a safe environment, not just the "special" ones.

Roy, I have seen the time out rooms and talked to the professional people who work with the children. Not of what you describe happened at any Middletown Public School.
I don't now where you're coming from on this but it is nowhere near reality.

Again, what parent witnessed it? My daughter goes to Farm Hill and when asked about scream rooms she said she didn't know what I was talking about. She thinks I made it up. She did say that certain kids constantly used the F word and got into fights and that she would prefer that they were not in the same school, let alone class, as she. But who cares about how she feels, right? Her rights don't matter.

No point in arguing with Roy, Carlo.
Facts don't matter to him. He clearly has an agenda.

I do have an agenda.
It is to advocate for the safety of children with disabilities, especially children with autism. The first step, schools must train their staff in the use and application of postive behavior intervention and how to avoid the use of seclusion & restraint. It is not just my agenda, it is a section of special education legislation. Training staff is the first step to a safe environment for children with disabilities.
Rosarius Leonardi

Your absolutely right,Carlo. The thing that bothers me most about these accusations is that people's reputations, careers and employment are being ruined by a few people who have absolutely no proof to back up their wild claims. All of the people being accused have spent their lives trying to help and educate children. When someone is accused of abusing a child, even falsely accused as I believe these people are, the stink never washes off. Can you imagine one of them trying to find a job elsewhere? Even completely innocent, no other school system would touch them. If I were them, I would hire an attorney and go after Jane the Petioner.

Roy: I commend you for that agenda. It's your baseless accusations of abuse at Farm Hill School that I take issue with.

The media will hype and dramatize any story to get higher ratings.

I don't know what comments you are referring to by the children and parents. I didn't hear any mention of abuse on any level.

If the parents are reciting what their children have told them, then yes, there was most likely misinformatiom. I have an 8 year old son. You wouldn't believe some of the stories he hears at school.

The term "scream room" was coined by some students. Refer to the above answer.

Fabrication? Of what, abuse ? Yes, I believe stories of abuse were fabricated then blown out of proportion by reactive parents and media. Proof- show us proof. If one person had abused one student, or if there was a pattern of abuse at Farm Hill, don't you think that someone would have seen it and reported it, if for no other reason than to cover their own ass ?

I should have said, "I didn't hear any mention of abuse at the Board of Ed hearings. There was mention of abuse in the media, but again, no evidence was ever presented and I believe these reports are unfounded.

Seclusion used without a behavior plan is considered abusive.

You know Roy and Carlo. I think the three of us could probably see eye to eye on a lot of this, eventually. Thank you both for the conversation and for being gentlemen. I know of one thing we three agree on: we want the best for all children and for this issue to stop dividing our town.

Hi Wyatt
Thanks for your note. I appreciate your sentiment.
Carlo, The IEP Team comprised of the parents, regular edcation teacher, special education teacher, and administrator (other staff may be involved as well) develops Plans for children in special education. The Team develops a plan, based on data collection. Then the Plan is implemented. If the data signifies that the Plan is not effective, the Team goes back to review the data. Any type of aversive intervention, if utilized, should be effective; the child's behavior should improve, and the Team moves on to less restrictive interventions. Any living organism can learn to behave more appropriately. Under the Law, if there are no data then it didn't happen. If the school had a Plan and collected and used their data, they wouldn't be in this situation.
Rosarius Leonardi

Wyatt, an unfounded defense is no more productive than an unfounded accusation. On what do you base your defense of these administrators? We have plenty of reason to question their job performance. What evidence have you got to back up your praise? Do you even know for a fact that they have complied with all state and federal statutes? Do you know for a fact that they have been vigilant in evaluating and supervising their staff? Have you ever considered the possibility that our students would be better served by having more people working directly with kids (paras and teachers) and fewer administrators? We always hear talk of cutting paras or teachers. When is the last time you heard anyone talk about reducing the number of administrators? We have a special education director who has two assistants AND a "consultant", who doesn't so much "consult" as just performs duties that used to be handled by the director. Starting with our superintendent, we need to calmly, thoroughly, and honestly examine the jobs we are asking our administrators to do, and assess the quality of their performance.

The good news is the lawyers are drooling.

There is a solution to all this which doesn't involve lawyers, state agencies and multiple layers of highly paid administrators who don't know a whole lot about dealing with young children. It's called vouchers. But heaven forbid that parents should ever be considered to be qualified to know what is best for their own children......far too much money being made in the Ed Biz to ever let that happen.