Chairman Miller on CNN discussing seclusion and restraint techniques

Chairman Miller thank you so much for defending our children. This is happening all across the United States & needs to stop. People need to be held accountable for what they are doing to our children. This is abuse & if we as parents were doing this to our children at home we would be arrested! Thank you again for speaking up & defending our children!

Chairman Miller,

I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your dedicated work regarding restraint and seclusion on our children in schools. What is happening across the country is shameful to say the least. It seems apparent that proper behavior interventions have been replaced with the deadly prone restraint and locked seclusion. How is this legal? If this happened to a typical child everyone would be up in arms and perpetrators in jail. This is discrimination at its best.

The worst part is that these children make the perfect witnesses as they are often nonverbal. Therefore, they are at a severe disadvantage compared to their typical counterparts. We must have cameras in self contained ESE classes to help ensure that any new laws are followed. Schools often won't even allow parents in to observe the class. Some schools are sealed fortresses.

It is as if our country has regressed 100 years in regards to human rights.

Many parents are keeping their children home to prevent the abuse. Therefore, these children are being deprived of their rights under IDEA to a "free and appropriate education" while the schools continue to receive funding. These poor children are suffering in ways we cannot even imagine.

Thank you for all that you have done and continue to do

Facts show evidence of the disparate treatment of children in schools that use Physical or Corporal Punishment, these children are treated completely different than other children in 30 STATES, where the practice is ILLEGAL! The Constitution promotes and requires the equal protection of law of all citizens in its 14th Amendment. Equality requires effort and accountability. U.S. Federal government must not continue to FAIL TO PROTECT OUR CHILDREN AND MUST TAKE IMMEDIATE ACTION TO ABOLISH CORPORAL PUNISHMENT OF ALL CHILDREN IN ALL SCHOOLS!

Corporal punishment of any child is unconscionable!

Florida is a state that sanctions corporal punishment in public schools.

New Jersey abolished corporal punishment in public schools in 1867!

Last Friday, Governor Ted Strickland signed a bill abolishing corporal punishment in all Ohio public and private schools.

There still remain 20 states whose laws allow public schoolchildren to receive corporal punishment. Such laws are barbaric and need to be abolished!

Dear Chairman Miller,

I can't thank you enough for all you are doing for our children. You are the first person I have seen that has been this outspoken and believed what parents have been saying for years.

My son Christian suffered so much from being restrained while in public school. We thought he was having a breakdown when we pulled him out of 8th grade. One year later we found out that he had been restrained on a regular basis between 7th and 8th grade. We never received one phone call or anything in writing. His language is limited but he was telling us in other ways that he was hurting but we didn't understand at the time. When I look back now the signs were obvious that something was wrong. The guilt of not keeping him safe when he went to school everyday is overwhelming for both of us.

My husband and I have spent the last 3 years trying to get him help to undue the harm that was done to him for almost 2 years in a row in public school. He has regressed in so many areas, has lost interest in all the things he use to love and has fears about going to school. In April of this year he was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder so now we are looking for help in this area. His healing progress has been very slow but we have found some good doctors and therapists to work with him and we are hoping in time he will be able to get past what was done to him.

Thank you again for all you are doing.

Regards,
Phyllis Musumeci
Palm Beach County, Florida

Dear Chairman George Miller,

As a medical professional I am in total agreement that restraint and seclusion is abusive (emotionally and physically) to our special children. We are in urgent need for federal legislature to direct all states to safely educate our children with a positive behavior support strategy and well trained behavior team. The educational institutions need highly trained individuals with proper administrative support and funding. There should be supervision by an agency other than self policing by the school with reporting of events with a sound sense of accountability and penalties for abusive and aversive acts of restraints and seclusion. These children also have civil rights and laws to prevent them from being discriminated against their disability. They require to be treated with dignity and respect.

Dear CNN,

I have a video of my child being brutally restrained at age 10 for non compliance over ten years ago. Due to her situation the State of MA passed regulations (after seeing the video of my daughter and another child) It is so great to see Chairman MILLER and others finally understanding this.

I know what Rose and her family are going through and glad she is bringing attention to this important issue . THANK you CNN for this coverage.

[edited for privacy by ed.]

Dear Hon. Chairman Mr. Miller,

Thank you for taking personal interest on behalf of
Children in their cause and helping their parents.

-nishi

Thank you Chairman Miller for taking a stand.

Chairman Miller,

Thank you for your voice and strength on the issue of restraint and seclusion. It was shocking to me to meet with State legislators in FL who would not support the issue because they refused to even believe this type of behavior happens in the schools. It is such a shocking issue and the pain of families going through this in unfathomable.

Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!

I am so happy that someone is finally willing to deal with this form of child abuse. If a parent did some of the things, that these educators are allowed to do, they'd be in prison.

I agree with the previous comments. So many of these children are nonverbal and can not tell others what is going on. But, in my experience, even very intelligent and verbal kids are abused as well. It is the teacher's word against the student. Who do you think that the administration is going to believe.

I have personally witnessed administrations denying events and not taking responsibility for their actions. I have witnessed a school district state that a child's behavior was purposeful after reading letters from a psychiatrist, pediatrician, neurologist, and two specialists that state that the behavior is due to the disability and the stress of being abused at school. It's time to stop emotional, psychological, and physical abuse of our children.

Congressman Miller,
Thank you for not backing down on the issue of restraint and seclusion. Please don't be lulled into believing that Individual Education Plans (IEP's) and Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports (PBIS)and teacher training will stop children from dying if prone restraint and seclusion are allowed, even if they are supposed to be a last option. All these things are already required in my home state and children, along with mine, are restrained face down with staff sitting on them and placed in concrete cell like rooms anyway. Parents cannot afford to sue school districts when these laws are broken, even though the districts lawyers are publicly funded by the tax payers. There should be criminal penalties for the abuse of children in school. Parents should not be able to give permission for restraint and seclusion. What happens to these children is abuse and it will not stop with PBIS or training if it is not made illegal.

Chairman Miller:
Thank you so much for all your work with Restraint and Seclusion. The schools ARE using these systems as a form of discipline and even have discipline policies outlining restraint/seclusion and claim they do not need permission to use it. My son was restrained and forced into seclusion for wanting to call me - his mom. Not sure why a child calling home for reassurance seemed like such a terrible thing to the school, but that restraint was horrible and very abusive. I find however, that the Abuse Investigators do not get involved when the schools claim they have to do a "take-down". I certainly hope you continue with your support of getting these maniacs the training they need to stop abusing our kids. We really appreciate it.