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Maine schools: discipline, seclusion, restraint policies

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Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "Maine reviews school policies on restraining" (by Kelley Bouchard; Oct. 10, 2010; The Portland Press Herald), #s 21-29:


henryelm said... October 10, 2010 at 11:00 AM
Maybe the state will say no more restraints. In which case kids who need to be restrained will go back to sweetsir and spurwink for their education, at 2-3 times the cost to taxpayers and the state. And the student will no longer be counted in the local budget.DefNotADem said... October 10, 2010 at 12:27 PM
henryelm said... Maybe the state will say no more restraints. In which case kids who need to be restrained will go back to sweetsir and spurwink for their education, at 2-3 times the cost to taxpayers and the state. And the student will no longer be counted in the local budget /// What do you mean they wont be counted in the local budget ? The state doesn't pay full price for them the local taxpayer picks up the rest. The state is supposed to pay 100% of special ed costs by la but they refuse. Until then the can stay out of the business of telling schools where the kids will go for their "education"RobertAT said... October 10, 2010 at 2:06 PM
Physical restraint should be the absolute last method used to stabilize a student. When it gets to that level, there should be much more going on than a scuffle. People who were trained a decade ago or earlier, were trained to use physical restraint. Current training is about avoiding restraint. We can never know the particulars of the case sited in the article and should not be making determinations based on what was shared here. Those who think they know everything about education, but lack any actual training or education on the subject should go learn what's really happening. We don't mainstream students anymore, we include them. Diversity is the norm in the world and it is the norm in schools. Teacher training needs to be improved so that all students' needs can be met and cloistering people who are different does nothing for improving our world.2B said... October 10, 2010 at 3:24 PM
Any student that strikes a teacher should be expelled for the entire year.2B said... October 10, 2010 at 3:32 PM
Dontwanna, Kids with with disabilities such as Autism should get schooling in special ed classes...Not with the rest of the population. Too many doctors are labeling children that don't have disabilities. It is a $$ grabbing scheme both for the doctors and the parents of those children. The doctors get the $$ from MaineCare and the parents get Social Security Disability payments for the so called disabled children. It is time for these games to stop. It is also time to stop coddling children and making excuses for bad behavior.terry said... October 10, 2010 at 5:55 PM
just because the child calmed down when his mother showed up,does not mean he would ever have calmed down for the teachers. what else is a person to do when a child is way out of control,knocking off glasses from teachers and being disruped?VGFiMTk4MA%3D%3D said... October 11, 2010 at 10:52 AM
And what do we say to the kids who have no mom to stay at home with them? These kids have problems for pretty significant reasons, many of which don't even live with parents. In many cases of EBD, it's the parents who are major contributors to the primary problem. Yes, it is expensive to educate these guys, but you'd all be complaining about paying for their prison terms too. As a taxpayer, I'd rather spend the money earlier, in the hopes that problems can be worked through so they can be positive members of our community. Legislation by the name IDEA (1997) ensures that all students are given an free and appropriate education in the least restrictive environment. End of discussion. Instead of complaining, maybe folks would like to start suggesting ways in which to break the cycle of violence in our families.VGFiMTk4MA%3D%3D said... October 11, 2010 at 11:05 AM
It should also be noted that not all restraints are created equally. The methods taught are only as good as the research that spawns them. TCI is more comprehensive than MANDT, or CPI. Some training seminars last for 4 hours, while others require 40 hours of training. And yes, kids can get PTSD from repeated, improper holds. When done incorrectly, especially when it is done repeatedly for questionable reasons, it is no better than punching a kid in the face. If your kid was struggling for reasons out of your control (like Autism), would you want them restrained, incorrectly (it seems), in the prone position on a muddy floor mat? I'm guessing not. Restraints are a last resort, to protect the student and the staff, and should be used when all other deescalation methods have been exhausted. Staff needs to be trained appropriately, or they shouldn't be performing holds. Period.DaveD said... October 11, 2010 at 12:42 PM
if a Marine restrains a terrorist who moments before was trying to kill him and other Americans on the battlefield; the ACLU and other groups condemn him for his actions and demand swift punishment. they label it torture. if a teacher secludes or restrains a child it's ok in the states eyes.


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Ursus:
From the above article:

Editor's note: This is part of an occasional series about discipline in Maine schools. A second story about alternatives to restraining students will appear in Monday's edition of The Portland Press Herald.[/list]

Here's that second story:

-------------- • -------------- • --------------

The Portland Press Herald
Posted: October 11, 2010 · Updated: Today at 12:59 AM

Classroom crises: How does a teacher respond?
A group of city educators gets training to defuse situations when students become angry or upset.

By Kelley Bouchard · kbouchard@pressherald.com


Copyright ©2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.

Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "Classroom crises: How does a teacher respond?" (by Kelley Bouchard; Oct. 11, 2010; The Portland Press Herald), #s 1-20:


Sue01 said... October 11, 2010 at 1:18 AM
If teachers think this is scary turf - imagine the plight of a student - already upset and then humiliated and not understanding why they're being pushed to the floor. __ McCormack is spot on/correct to acknowledge: "When a child is upset, it didn't happen out of nowhere, folks. There's always a cause. It may not be right in front of you, but it's there. You have to know your child. And depending on your response, you're either going to throw gasoline on the situation or you're going to throw water on the situation." __ Kudos to those teachers and parents who MOVE FORWARD with open minds to learn new things. Boo to those who just blame kids and parents. Ignorance is no longer an option. __ You're either part of the solution - or part of THE PROBLEM.mtc said... October 11, 2010 at 6:20 AM
I think society is moving forward with this issue. Years ago a kid would be hit if they misbehaved in a classroom. Some kids aren't misbehaving in the first place they are just wired different and come from a loving home with good parents. At the same time educators should be in control of the school environment. If a child who is having a breakdown because of the stresses involved with sitting under florescent lights in a small crowded room for hours then the school should be able to keep order. If people are taught the correct way to secure an out of control child then there is less of a chance that the event will cross over the line into an abusive situation.XPortlander said... October 11, 2010 at 7:49 AM
Keep the children home and send the parents to school.goinbroke said... October 11, 2010 at 8:11 AM
Issue plastic handcuffs to the schools and use them. Enough of this touchy feely BS. Act out and become a threat you get restrained and held for authorities or released to a parent. This is an example of why the maine schools are such a failure. time spent on this BS is time not spent teaching the other kids in the school.SL said... October 11, 2010 at 9:08 AM
I have a suggestions. SEND THEM HOME. Let the parents raise the kids and the teachers teach the kids that want to learn. Inconvenience the parents as much as possible so they figure out that they need to change how they deal with their kids so they will come to school prepared to learn. The disrespect shown to teachers these days is deplorable, the profanity the insults the intimidation...throw these kids out of school each and every time they do it and they will change real fast or they will stop consuming valuable class time by not being there to cause the issue for the kids that want to learn! Personal responsibility has to be learned at a young age or it is a long road....many parents have little, so why do we expect their kids to have any?Obamination said... October 11, 2010 at 9:10 AM
What a bunch of liberal baloney. When I was in grade school, FEAR, of getting sent to the principal's office, and the spanking paddle rumour had it would be used there, kept things in control. The young and immature need to be taught how to take accountability for their choices and behavior, so that when they are older they will have learned how to adapt that instinct from the infantile fear of spanking to the adult world of choices and consequences. It is LIBERAL policies like this Thera-PEWWWW-tic Crisis Intervention that's what's wrong with education today. What will teachers do when they get injured struggling to physically subdue kids? Go on disability? Exactly. Nip this one in the bud.Nan said... October 11, 2010 at 10:11 AM
Sue01 posted: "Boo to those who just blame kids and parents." Sure SuzieQ, let's just throw out the concept of raising kids to be respectful of others and to not be bullies. Back in the day, I could count on one hand the number of kids who became violent in school. They either shaped up or shipped out, in a hurry. Back then, most parents raised their kids to behave, and if the kid was disruptive, there was hell to pay when he went home. Today, too many parents raise their kids to be bullies, and the schools are forced to tolerate this kind of intolerable behavior lest the civil libertarians come in and file a class-action suit on behalf of all bullies.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 10:17 AM
Good to see bouchard get an education and be IN the classroom on the topic she's been writing on for 5+ years . Therapuetic intervention is NOT a new fangled idea, it's been around forever, but it's been called therapeutic intervention for the least 10+ years. Most school have used it for 10+ years. Class room teachers use it every day ( without even knowing it or calling it therapeuetic intervention) to avoid getting into power struggles and escalating students. Teachers call it classroom management.Gwedd said... October 11, 2010 at 10:31 AM
Send the trouble-makers home and refuse to allow them back. Ever. There are too many kids in the schools who don't belong there to begin with. This society will always have a need for manual laborers and other labor-intensive work, and those kids, when they are older, can fill those jobs. Let those who WANT to be there, who WANT to get an education, be there. The others can stay away.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 10:32 AM
Yup "going" teachers use touchy feely techniques continuously thru out the day to deescalate johnny who is always on a slow boil and ready to boil over at any moment so she can keep him in the classroom(and keep him from punching fred in the nose) so she can actually teach BOTH him AND FRED. A teacher knows from the moment the kids walk thru the door(and how they walk thru the door) who is going to need their attention that day.2B said... October 11, 2010 at 11:38 AM
Excuses for bad behavior!! Send these kids home before they hurt another child or a teacher. Teachers and the other children that want to learn should not have to tolerate physical or mental abuse from these so called disabled brats. Stop pampering thesm and send them home for the parents to deal with.goinbroke said... October 11, 2010 at 1:03 PM
Henry, cut your losses just like a business. If 80 percent of the problems originate with 20 percent of the parts, what does that tell you? Isolate or eliminate the 20 percent. you-they get paid to teach. If you spend a lot of time with the problems you are not serving the majority. Its bad management and if the nut jobs go off on another kid or a teacher the system gets sued. No win scenario if you keep the problems in schoool.Sue01 said... October 11, 2010 at 1:11 PM
"Sure SuzieQ, let's just throw out the concept of raising kids to be respectful of others and to not be bullies." _ Nobody is saying that. Do you equate kids with learning/emotional differences with spoiled children and bullies? Students rise to the potential you see in them. Many folks assume SpEd kids have low-IQs. (Surprise!) Many have HIGHER IQs and WANT to learn, but are frustrated by sitting through classes where an instruction style is incompatible with their learning style (NOT A CONSCIOUS CHOICE). Here’s where charter schools could make a huge difference to Maine students. (Note: We ARE willing to coach those we dub “gifted and talented.”) _ Some students are teased or put down – subtly, but regularly – until they reach their breaking point. Awareness/sensitivity training can enable teachers to plan lessons thoughtfully and maintain an environment that doesn't "set" ANYBODY off in the first place. It's not "touchy/feely" - it's RESPECTFUL.Ayuh23 said... October 11, 2010 at 1:29 PM
LOL@goinbroke and those who say "Send them home!" You make it sound so simple and make it sound as though the teacher has any choice in the matter! You see, unlike charter or private schools, public schools have to teach all the kids and ALL means just that. Teachers generally do not create the class list, they just have to deal with whoever shows up. Each child has a need that must be met, and there's h3ll to pay if anyone slips thru the cracks. We are working with people here, not robots. Each person is unique and that goes for both adults and children. For the most part, it goes ok- but kids have off days, teachers have off days and so do parents. It is realistic to expect that the adults will do the best they know how, but don't expect perfection.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 1:36 PM
Hey "going" etc did you ever hear of that little document called the constitution??goinbroke said... October 11, 2010 at 1:40 PM
ayuh23, its the cost of the system vs the results that is driving this revolt by the taxpayers. Charter schools will surely serve the givted and the middle of the road kids just like the top performing private schools do now. But charter schools will force the failing public schools to make the changes being discussed here. Its unfortunate that the tteachers and the MEA does not grasp the concept. In the end remember that you could have changed but you choose to be forced rather than modifing your existing system. Did you really think the taxpayers were going to just keep going down this road?henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 1:46 PM
"Here’s where charter schools could make a huge difference to Maine students. (Note: We ARE willing to coach those we dub "gifted and talented.") " but what about the ones "dubbed" special ed??? See there IS the rub. In the states where charter school( public pay for private choices) ave been in place for awhile. There is NO evidence charter schools do any better then public schools. Why not just invest in making the existing public school system better??Ayuh23 said... October 11, 2010 at 1:57 PM
Still laughing goinbroke, because you clearly don't understand the issue. Teachers (whether represented by the MEA or not) in public schools do not choose the children in the classroom. When an angry child (GT, LD, Middle of the Road, Special Needs, what have you) comes to school, the classroom teacher has to deal with it, often without administrator support. A charter or private school can tell the family to take the child elsewhere- a public school cannot. You also failed to notice that this type of classroom management isn't being taught in education programs, but many public school districts are sending their teachers for training because *it is the right thing to do* not because they are "forced" to do so. (rolls eyes) Time to iron the curtains I bought for my classroom- henryelm, you take it from here.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 1:59 PM
Here's the deal. ALL children are unique. ALL children have different needs and learning styles. ALL children can and DO learn. NOT all learning environments meet ALL children's needs (whether private OR public) BUT ONLY the PUBLIC school is required by law to try to meet ALL kids needs. And in MY experience they do a pretty good job OF it, with the resources that they have. Could they do better with MORE resources, SURE! Finland who is tops in the world education have 3 teachers with MASTERS degrees in EVERY classroom!!! They weren't always #1 They made an active decision to BECOME #1. And businesss flocking there in droves.!! You get what you are willing to pay for.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 2:24 PM
In LESS then a decade Finland became #1! BECAUSE they were willing to make that investment. They made a goal and achieved it. In the 60's the US made that same committment to education and WE became #1. There is no "magic" to education. We KNOW HOW to do it and what works for ALL Kids. And having a 2 tiered education system isn't' going to get us there. IT is going to DIVIDE our resources instead of consolidating them into ONE GOAL---SUCCESS and opportunity FOR ALL (not just some). While we are fighting over crumbs, OTHER countries are reinvesting INTO education, leaving us in their dust. SOME NOISY taxpayers have decided we just can't "afford" to invest in education. You get what you pay for. We are no longer #1. SOME decided education isn't a priority and mediocre /"average" is good enough. We have no one but "GOING" to blame. YOU and anti spending "won" "Going". Do you like the outcome?? Or do you want to make us even MORE average??

Copyright ©2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.

Ursus:
Comments left for the above article, "Classroom crises: How does a teacher respond?" (by Kelley Bouchard; Oct. 11, 2010; The Portland Press Herald), #s 21-32:


Relax said... October 11, 2010 at 2:45 PM
henryelm, You left out another key element of the Finland equation for educational success Parental Involvement. Without parents supporting their children, their children's teachers and their children's schools it wouldn't matter if you had three teachers per class who all have their doctorates. If kids don't learn at home how important education is there is "little" that any teacher or group of teachers can do during a school day or class period to set them on the right track. It's fascinating to listen to the tough guy conservatives here looking to beat or simply exclude our children into educational submission. Please keep this in mind when you go to vote because it's much the same attitude they have about the average citizen.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 3:03 PM
I agree,relax. It's a mind set of valuing education and educators.It doesn't HAVE to be about money . BUT it does need to be a national committment with ALL players supporting it and all on board. Like we did in the 60's. We saw education as a part of and integral to our NATIONAL DEFENSE strategy.I suspect other countries still DO!!!goinbroke said... October 11, 2010 at 3:55 PM
Henry, Youu take up a lot of bandwidth yet say nothing. Maine spends 83 percent of its entire yearly budget on education and welfare. these are the two big hogs at the money trough. Where in your infinite wisdom do you suppose the cuts are going to happen? Start thinking, smaller, less funding and yes isolate or remove the problems. We are better off doing a good job on 80 percent and loosing the other 20 them doing a bad job on the whole lot.goinbroke said... October 11, 2010 at 4:11 PM
henry, you say a lot but still dont get the big picture. maine spends 83 percent of the money it recieves on welfare and education. wher do you and the other members of the brain trust think the cuts are going to happen? the schools are a travisty. We spend too much and get little in return, very similar to reading your endless posts. We need solutions not verbage.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 6:07 PM
"going" you post often. say little, repeat yourself, and don't get the big picture: What IS the purpose of Government and taxation?? So do you think education should be private pay??? OR do we ALL benefit from having an educated populace? I don't know too many parents who can "afford" $7-10,000 per child annually. Do you??? Why DO we have public education, anyhow ? Maybe we shouldn't. Maybe the private sector should pay for it.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 6:13 PM
playing devils advocate.Suppose we do privatize education, who pays for it? parents? the private sector? Instead of buying sports stadiums, suppose they buy schools and educate their own workers? Interesting idea?Relax said... October 11, 2010 at 7:30 PM
In the history of humankind we have seen people rise against seemingly insurmountable odds to get past a wide variety of hardships. Unfortunately there have also been times when people have chosen the easiest possible alternative to solve their problems (Turning on other races, other religions, other political parties etc. etc.). It would seem that someone who is willing to simply cast aside 20% of our children for the sake of simple convenience probably isn’t displaying what most of us would consider common decency. When challenged we should look to rise to the occasion not sink back on our primitive self-serving instincts.goinbroke said... October 11, 2010 at 8:48 PM
henry, " What IS the purpose of Government and taxation? " , easy Prudenrt and ecomonical use of the taxpayer contribution (83 percent on welfare and education 2010). Simple enough. Your read seems to be an unlimited support of a failed education system is OK. Not so, you dont get it pal. Charter Schls can and will do it better because they will take those willing to learn. The public sector, will support those not willing to learn with much less public assistance (no money) Read fewer schools with fewer students and no need for current staffing or funding levels. Coming soon to a school where you work.henryelm said... October 11, 2010 at 10:33 PM
so bascially you are admitting ,"going" that the plan is for charter schools to selectively choose the cream of the crop and leave the rest behind. Hope they plan to do it without taxpayer funding then because, I'd say that would be ILLEGAL, constituion, IDEA and all. OH that is why the right is trying all kinds of angle to change the laws: to make discimination( and separtaionof church and state) LEGAL?illegal. You can dress it up and put lipstick on it BUT...it's a recration of segregation.Hipupchuck said... October 11, 2010 at 10:40 PM
That's why the make tasers.Bob45 said... October 11, 2010 at 11:00 PM
The public schools focus on the top 10% of all students. The next 10% get lip service. The rest receive little or no attention. If your child is on the autism spectrum I guarantee he/she spends most of their time with an aide in a room away from the other students. Or perhaps face down with a bloody lip. Check the facts. This is not a feel good story.Adam180 said... October 12, 2010 at 1:13 AM
How about teaching kids early on to respect authority, and not putting up with any BS from the first day they start school? Public school is a joke! When I went to school in the 80's and 90's, there was no authority or control. Students could do whatever the wanted! Most of the class time was taken by teachers yelling and trying to get students to shut up and stop fooling around. Yet, it never got accomplished! Thank god, my last three years were in private school! I can only imagine it's gotten worse?

Copyright ©2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.

Ursus:
The Portland Press Herald
Posted: October 15, 2010 · Updated: Today at 12:26 PM

Disability Rights Center challenges handling of restraint complaints

By Kelley Bouchard · kbouchard@pressherald.com


Copyright ©2010 MaineToday Media, Inc.

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