On Tampabay.com, an interview by Jeffrey S. Solochek of the St. Petersburg Times with Phyllis Musumeci, founder of Florida Families against Restraint and Seclusion. Musumeci, who lives in Palm Beach, says her son was restrained and placed in seclusion in school at least 89 times over a period of 14 months without her knowledge.

Musumeci, above with Sen. Chris Dodd, recently went to Washington for the release of a report by the National Disability Rights Network documenting the widespread use of restraints and seclusion in schools across the country. She is calling for a prohibition on the use of prone restraints in schools. An excerpt:

We have positive behavior programs that are supposed to be the way to go for our kids. It’s scientifically proved that positive behavior works as opposed to methods like restraint and seclusion. Restraint and seclusion is traumatizing our children. They must have seen what this was doing to my child, and yet they continued doing it to him. And I hear the same story from other parents.

Earlier post here.

(Photo from the Palm Beach Post)

This entry was posted on Sunday, January 25th, 2009 at 2:30 pm and is filed under education, restraints and seclusion, special education. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.