by Ralph R. Ortega/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday March 05, 2008, 5:41 PM
Paraprofessionals and school aides failed to report the alleged physical and emotional abuse of special needs children by a teacher at a Hunterdon County school over a two-year period, according to a lawsuit filed by parents of one of the students.
According to the lawsuit, the child was struck, grabbed, pushed, pinched, restrained, assaulted, battered and locked in a bathroom while attending a morning preschool autism class at the Readington School District during the 2004 and 2005 academic years.
The teacher accused of causing the abuse resigned after the problem was eventually reported to the administration of the Three Bridges School, according to the suit.
The suit, filed Tuesday at the Hunterdon County Courthouse in Flemington, does not detail how many children were allegedly abused. The suit claimed paraprofessionals and school aides witnessed the alleged abuse over the two-year period and failed to report it because they had not been trained on how to do so.
Readington Superintendent Jorden Schiff said a reporting system is now in place, but declined to comment specifically on the suit.
State regulations require that child abuse be reported to the Division of Youth and Family Services. Lisa Eastwood, an attorney for the parents who filed the suit, said a complaint against the teacher was made with DYFS after the alleged abuses were reported, but that finding of abuse was reversed on Friday.
The parents who filed the suit still maintain there was abuse, Eastwood said.
Read more in Thursday's Star-Ledger.
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Showing posts with label New Jersey. Show all posts
Sunday, March 9, 2008
Wednesday, January 2, 2008
Cherry Hill Parents Outraged Over 'Quiet Room'
CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS 3) ―
Nov 28, 2007
Outraged parents attended a school board meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the discovery of a padded 'quiet room' inside a Cherry Hill school last month.
Parents met with school officials to discuss the room during a public meeting at the Clara Barton School on Rhode Island Avenue in Cherry Hill.
The room was first disclosed during an October meeting where parents were apparently told the padded room may have been used for children with autism and behavioral problems.
Concerned parent Lisa Grams used her cell phone to snap photos of the small, windowless storage room which was lined with gym mats.
"It made me sick. It made me absolutely sick," said Grams.
Grams said she took photos and video of the room while visiting the school in October.
"I walked into the room and it stunk so bad; the air was just very old. The gym mat, it smelled like urine," Grams said.
She said special education students notified her that other students with autism and other behavioral issues may have been put in the 'quiet room' in order to calm down.
Grams' son, who is autistic, was never placed in the room, but it concerned for other students at the school.
"How dare this school system treat small children so disrespectful," an outraged parent said during Tuesday night's meeting.
Not all parents were outraged over the school's actions. A parent of a special needs student applauded the district's polices.
"This is a dedicated group of people here in our administration," the parent said.
A School District spokesperson told CBS 3 the room was only used once under supervision for a student in crisis and they had received prior parental consent.
The school also followed up with the family after the incident and received no complaints. School officials said the room has been dismantled and has not been used since.
The Special Education Alliance:
http://www.cherryhillsea.com/paddedroom.htm
View photos of padded closet w/description:
http://revpage.com/tips/cherry%20hill/russell_knight_school.htm
Nov 28, 2007
Outraged parents attended a school board meeting Tuesday evening to discuss the discovery of a padded 'quiet room' inside a Cherry Hill school last month.
Parents met with school officials to discuss the room during a public meeting at the Clara Barton School on Rhode Island Avenue in Cherry Hill.
The room was first disclosed during an October meeting where parents were apparently told the padded room may have been used for children with autism and behavioral problems.
Concerned parent Lisa Grams used her cell phone to snap photos of the small, windowless storage room which was lined with gym mats.
"It made me sick. It made me absolutely sick," said Grams.
Grams said she took photos and video of the room while visiting the school in October.
"I walked into the room and it stunk so bad; the air was just very old. The gym mat, it smelled like urine," Grams said.
She said special education students notified her that other students with autism and other behavioral issues may have been put in the 'quiet room' in order to calm down.
Grams' son, who is autistic, was never placed in the room, but it concerned for other students at the school.
"How dare this school system treat small children so disrespectful," an outraged parent said during Tuesday night's meeting.
Not all parents were outraged over the school's actions. A parent of a special needs student applauded the district's polices.
"This is a dedicated group of people here in our administration," the parent said.
A School District spokesperson told CBS 3 the room was only used once under supervision for a student in crisis and they had received prior parental consent.
The school also followed up with the family after the incident and received no complaints. School officials said the room has been dismantled and has not been used since.
The Special Education Alliance:
http://www.cherryhillsea.com/paddedroom.htm
View photos of padded closet w/description:
http://revpage.com/tips/cherry%20hill/russell_knight_school.htm
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