Some background material leading up to this investigation and subsequent report:
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Chairman Miller Asks GAO to Investigate Cases of Abuse and Neglect of SchoolchildrenJanuary 27, 2009 2:21 PMWASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Rep. George Miller (D-CA), the chairman of the House Education and Labor Committee, today asked the U.S. Government Accountability Office to further investigate recent reports of seclusion and restraint of children in public and private schools across the country. Miller's committee plans to hold a hearing on these practices in the coming months.
Earlier this month, the National Disability Rights Network released a report detailing hundreds of cases where abusive uses of seclusion and restraint by school staff injured or traumatized schoolchildren, many with disabilities. The report revealed cases where students were abusively pinned to the floor, handcuffed, locked in closets, and subjected to other acts of violence. In some of the cases, children died.
As Miller noted in his letter to GAO today, a prior GAO investigation conducted at Miller's request uncovered thousands of similar cases of abuse at teen residential treatment facilities across the country. GAO's work laid the groundwork for legislation to address these abuses, the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008 (H.R. 6358), which the House passed in June.
"Unfortunately, vulnerable children and teens are being abused all too often in other contexts," Miller wrote. "To assist in the Committee's ongoing efforts to help protect our children, I specifically request that FSI investigate the use of restraint, seclusion, and harmful aversive handling of children and youth in private and public schools."
For more information on the report documenting these abuses, click here. For more information on H.R. 6358, click here.
The full text of Miller's letter to GAO is below.
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January 27, 2009
Gene L. Dodaro
Acting Comptroller General
U.S. Government Accountability Office
441 G Street, N.W.
Washington, DC 20548
Dear Mr. Dodaro:
I write to request that the Government Accountability Office (GAO) Forensic Audits and Special Investigations Unit (FSI) further investigate recent reports of neglect and abuse of children in our nation’s schools.
Over the last several years, GAO ably fulfilled my requests that it review and investigate the alarming number of deaths and incidences of abuse of youth enrolled in private residential treatment programs geared toward treating troubled teens. Among other things, the investigative work highlighted cases where staff at some programs employed unsafe restraint techniques that lead to death in some of those cases. In part because of these revelations, the House passed the Stop Child Abuse in Residential Programs for Teens Act of 2008, H.R. 6358 (110th Congr.) on June 25, 2008.
Unfortunately, vulnerable children and teens are being abused all too often in other contexts. Just this month, the National Disability Rights Network released a troubling report entitled School is Not Supposed to Hurt in which the authors described instances of death and abuse of children and youth in public and private schools across the United States. The report focused on seclusion and restraint techniques and detailed dozens of occurrences of students being abusively pinned to the floor, handcuffed, locked in closets, and subjected to other traumatizing acts of violence. In some of the cases, the abuse resulted in death.
To assist in the Committee's ongoing efforts to help protect our children, I specifically request that FSI investigate the use of restraint, seclusion, and harmful aversive handling of children and youth in private and public schools.
Sincerely,
George Miller
Chairman
cc: Senior Republican Member Howard "Buck" McKeon
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