Federal judge dismisses lawsuit over restraints, timeout room
August 21st, 2008From the [Willmar, Minnesota] West Central Tribune, AP/St. Paul Pioneer Press:
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit accusing a Minnesota special education teacher of mistreating an elementary school student with disabilities through the use of excessive physical restraints and a locked timeout room. The court found that the actions were reasonable, and were not a substantial departure from accepted professional practice.
An earlier investigation by the Minnesota Department of Education found numerous violations of state and federal special education laws in the teacher’s treatment of the student and in her documentation of incidents in her classroom.
A lawyer for Jackie Nelson, the girl’s mother, said she plans to file an appeal.


