Second Family Alleges Abuse of Mentally-Ill Son in Russellville Elementary School
By: Marci Manley, KARK 4 News
Updated: November 16, 2012
The second family in less than a week, speaking out to KARK, claiming abusive practices are occurring in Sequoyah Elementary School's treatment of children with mental disabilities.
"This is just part of it," she said, pointing to a stack of papers roughly a foot and a half high.
Over the past three years, Kathy Craig has put together an encyclopedia on her son's education.
"It's been really difficult with this between dealing with a mentally-ill child," she said.
Craig actually adopted her grandson, making her his legal guardian. And on Tuesday, more materials arrived at home to add to the ever-growing pile.
"They were distinct thumbprints on both shins," she said.
Pictures -- of what Craig said are bruises on 8-year-old Cody's body from being restrained in Sequoyah Elementary's Alternative Learning Environment.
"That meant face down on the floor, three of them holding down his legs and his arms," she said. "I understand that restraint has to be used at points to protect both the child and the teacher. But this is concerning."
Craig reported the bruises to police, prompting a Department of Human Services investigator to assess Cody. He's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder since he was three and he also suffers from auditory and visual psychosis.
Craig said DHS told her not to expect the case to move forward.
"It would probably be unsubstantiated because he couldn't see who the person was holding him down," she said. "He was face down on the ground, he couldn't see which of the three people was actually holding his legs."
Cody's mental condition has seen improvement on medication, but his alleged outbreaks at school are triggered by an unknown cause, according to Craig.
"It's been well-maintained with medication. He's gotten better with the psychosis because of the medicine. He still has highs and lows. He can be aggressive. He can be violent, but it doesn't happen at home. It's always at school, and I don't know why," she said. "When they provide us with a behavior chart, they'll list his triggers as 'math' or 'spelling'. That tells us absolutely nothing."
And when Craig requested that his psychologist be able to observe Cody in the classroom to determine what triggers were setting him off, she said the school refused, citing privacy issues.
"They told me the psychologist couldn't be there to observe because of student privacy concerns," she said. "But then I find out that volunteer parents have been allowed to be in the classroom and observe and I wonder how that's allowed."
Superintendent Randall Williams told KARK on Thursday that he was unaware of any DHS investigation that was ongoing.
On Friday, another parent complained of abusive restraint practices at Sequoyah Elementary.
"He was on his back with his feet up in the air like this on concrete," said father Ben Butler, who now home-school's his mentally ill son.
When KARK asked Williams on Friday, he said staff met state requirements for training in the ALE program, though he couldn't say if all had been trained on restraint practices, when, or how.
On Thursday of this week, Williams confirmed a company out of Florida conducted training with the staff, though he still couldn't tell us who received that training or when.
"I feel like there are true issues this is not isolated at all,' Craig said. "I've seen too much over the past couple of years. I've seen too many children being treated badly."
A Department of Education investigation in the Spring of 2012 did find instructors at Sequoyah placed Cody in a seclusion room too frequently --- 64 times in a seven month period. They did so, the ADE report says, without obtaining the proper written consent from Craig.
"We're supposed to sign a release for him to go into the seclusion room -- we were never told that -- we were never asked to sign a release," Craig said.
The school also failed to maintain documentation as required of the duration of the seclusion, the dates, and for what reason Cody was placed in the room by himself.
Instructors, the report indicated, also failed to follow Cody's Individual Education Plan (IEP) which includes recommendations from medical professionals to avoid triggers and improve his instruction in the classroom.
"We've had countless meetings about IEPs, " Craig said. "They don't follow it. Or they follow the portions they want when it's convenient for them or when they are being observed by the school psychologist. I can tell, by his behavior reports, when someone is there observing. There's a stark difference."
And when it comes to the education Cody has received, Craig isn't sure the school is performing to par in that respect.
"It seems like they're putting out fires constantly all day long i don't see how there's any education going on in that class," she said.
In the three years Cody has been in Sequoyah's ALE, which is intended to be a temporary and transitional class, his IQ has decreased from 125 to 62.
"There is no medical reason for that the only reason for that is he's not being taught," Craig said. "I believe he could perform in a regular classroom with the assistance of an aide. But the administration and school just outright refuse to allow him that."
According to Craig, children in the ALE program like Cody are completely isolated from the rest of the student population, leaving them with little social interaction except with other children who have differing mental disabilities.
"He doesn't get to go on field trips, he doesn't get to play on the playground with the other kids at recess. He doesn't get to eat at the cafeteria with the typical children," she said. "These kids end up feeding off one another. They have no other social interaction with people their own age."
Overall, Craig fears the only lessons Cody is learning at this school are the wrong ones.
"He may be under the impression that that's what school is about and and that's how adults in school treat children -- and that's very worrisome," she said.
KARK inquired with the Department of Education about the certification and training standards for use of restraints in Alternative Learning Environments. We were told by ADE that there were no state standards or criteria and that schools were expected to contract out training with a company to learn the theory of restraints and operative use. Schools are then expected to receive a letter of certification for staff.
"This is just part of it," she said, pointing to a stack of papers roughly a foot and a half high.
Over the past three years, Kathy Craig has put together an encyclopedia on her son's education.
"It's been really difficult with this between dealing with a mentally-ill child," she said.
Craig actually adopted her grandson, making her his legal guardian. And on Tuesday, more materials arrived at home to add to the ever-growing pile.
"They were distinct thumbprints on both shins," she said.
Pictures -- of what Craig said are bruises on 8-year-old Cody's body from being restrained in Sequoyah Elementary's Alternative Learning Environment.
"That meant face down on the floor, three of them holding down his legs and his arms," she said. "I understand that restraint has to be used at points to protect both the child and the teacher. But this is concerning."
Craig reported the bruises to police, prompting a Department of Human Services investigator to assess Cody. He's been diagnosed with bipolar disorder since he was three and he also suffers from auditory and visual psychosis.
Craig said DHS told her not to expect the case to move forward.
"It would probably be unsubstantiated because he couldn't see who the person was holding him down," she said. "He was face down on the ground, he couldn't see which of the three people was actually holding his legs."
Cody's mental condition has seen improvement on medication, but his alleged outbreaks at school are triggered by an unknown cause, according to Craig.
"It's been well-maintained with medication. He's gotten better with the psychosis because of the medicine. He still has highs and lows. He can be aggressive. He can be violent, but it doesn't happen at home. It's always at school, and I don't know why," she said. "When they provide us with a behavior chart, they'll list his triggers as 'math' or 'spelling'. That tells us absolutely nothing."
And when Craig requested that his psychologist be able to observe Cody in the classroom to determine what triggers were setting him off, she said the school refused, citing privacy issues.
"They told me the psychologist couldn't be there to observe because of student privacy concerns," she said. "But then I find out that volunteer parents have been allowed to be in the classroom and observe and I wonder how that's allowed."
Superintendent Randall Williams told KARK on Thursday that he was unaware of any DHS investigation that was ongoing.
On Friday, another parent complained of abusive restraint practices at Sequoyah Elementary.
"He was on his back with his feet up in the air like this on concrete," said father Ben Butler, who now home-school's his mentally ill son.
When KARK asked Williams on Friday, he said staff met state requirements for training in the ALE program, though he couldn't say if all had been trained on restraint practices, when, or how.
On Thursday of this week, Williams confirmed a company out of Florida conducted training with the staff, though he still couldn't tell us who received that training or when.
"I feel like there are true issues this is not isolated at all,' Craig said. "I've seen too much over the past couple of years. I've seen too many children being treated badly."
A Department of Education investigation in the Spring of 2012 did find instructors at Sequoyah placed Cody in a seclusion room too frequently --- 64 times in a seven month period. They did so, the ADE report says, without obtaining the proper written consent from Craig.
"We're supposed to sign a release for him to go into the seclusion room -- we were never told that -- we were never asked to sign a release," Craig said.
The school also failed to maintain documentation as required of the duration of the seclusion, the dates, and for what reason Cody was placed in the room by himself.
Instructors, the report indicated, also failed to follow Cody's Individual Education Plan (IEP) which includes recommendations from medical professionals to avoid triggers and improve his instruction in the classroom.
"We've had countless meetings about IEPs, " Craig said. "They don't follow it. Or they follow the portions they want when it's convenient for them or when they are being observed by the school psychologist. I can tell, by his behavior reports, when someone is there observing. There's a stark difference."
And when it comes to the education Cody has received, Craig isn't sure the school is performing to par in that respect.
"It seems like they're putting out fires constantly all day long i don't see how there's any education going on in that class," she said.
In the three years Cody has been in Sequoyah's ALE, which is intended to be a temporary and transitional class, his IQ has decreased from 125 to 62.
"There is no medical reason for that the only reason for that is he's not being taught," Craig said. "I believe he could perform in a regular classroom with the assistance of an aide. But the administration and school just outright refuse to allow him that."
According to Craig, children in the ALE program like Cody are completely isolated from the rest of the student population, leaving them with little social interaction except with other children who have differing mental disabilities.
"He doesn't get to go on field trips, he doesn't get to play on the playground with the other kids at recess. He doesn't get to eat at the cafeteria with the typical children," she said. "These kids end up feeding off one another. They have no other social interaction with people their own age."
Overall, Craig fears the only lessons Cody is learning at this school are the wrong ones.
"He may be under the impression that that's what school is about and and that's how adults in school treat children -- and that's very worrisome," she said.
KARK inquired with the Department of Education about the certification and training standards for use of restraints in Alternative Learning Environments. We were told by ADE that there were no state standards or criteria and that schools were expected to contract out training with a company to learn the theory of restraints and operative use. Schools are then expected to receive a letter of certification for staff.
Comments
Jack W. settling your concerns, these children are in their own classroom. The classroom setup isn't 30:1 (children:teacher). Instead it is 4:2 (Children:teacher). To me, it is sad that if a parent left bruises on a child in public or private they would be facing DHS and a possibility of losing their child. Why is it that when it is a public institution, it isn't looked at in the same light. Don't get me wrong: I don't want anyone to lose their jobs or to be penalized, but I do think it shows how poorly we treat mentally-ill children and adults.
Josh J.
November 18, 2012 at 11:03 pm
Not trying to stir the pot, but I would not feel settled with my children sharing a playground or classroom with children who are known to swear, spit and throw spontaneous and violent tantrums throughout the day. It's a difficult situation, because I agree that having normalcy will help breed normalcy, but you have to look at it the other way as well. If the article is accurate in saying these children are not educated because teachers are constantly putting out fires, imagine the impact on 20 other students who are in a position to learn. I sympathize with all parties %u2013 the parents, the children and the teachers. And those who do not support these teachers, while I certainly do not know them personally and cannot vouch for their training, I have to imagine they care an awful deal about the progress of their students. They deal with the outbreaks on a daily basis on a pluralized level; I can%u2019t imagine ANYONE doing that on a long-term basis without some passion in their hearts. I certainly couldn%u2019t do it%u2026.could you?
Jack W.
November 16, 2012 at 8:48 am
Same thing happened to my son at Sequoyah...Teacher was the bully all year...she even caused him to pee his pants in front of the whole class and he bullied by the other students because of it...This all occurred last year in 3rd grade...he had a 52 in reading and a 48 in writing and they past him to 4th that alone was fishy to me...I think they just didnt want to deal with him
Summer M.
November 16, 2012 at 7:04 am
