Awards of $1 Million In Virginia School Abuse Case / Vitamin Pills Bogus?

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Awards of $1 Million In Virginia School Abuse Case / Vitamin Pills Bogus?

Wednesday, March 15, 2000

Also: Spring 2000 Saturday Series On Autism: Spectrum Center

Jury Awards $1 Million In Virginia Abuse Case

[Legal advocate and activist comments: " This has to do

with schools being liable for not doing the right thing, which is far more

predominant with children with disabilities than with non-disabled children.

Plus, it happened in the 4th Circuit, which frowns on damages, and, unlike

Doe v. Withers (WV state court, 1st jury trial re spec ed damages) it was in

the Fed Ct in andria which is most pro-school division in the state. "

Damage cases were unknown 10 years ago, 5 years ago just starting up,

almost always reversed against child, in the past year the gates are

opening, and now we have a million dollar verdict, including a 350K against

the school principal herself. " ]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/WPlate/2000-03/11/121l-031100-idx.html

On Friday, March 10, a Virginia jury awarded more than $1 million in

damages to a young man who was abused by his middle school teacher.

Baynard, now 20 years old, brought suit against the andria

school board and several andria school administrators including the

principal. He alleged that the school administrators had been warned that

middle school teacher Craig Lawson was a child molester and should have

prevented his abuse.

The middle school teacher, Craig Lawson, was nicknamed " Awesome

Lawson. " He is serving a 30 year sentence for sex crimes against students

who attended schools where he taught.

Attorneys for Baynard, Glassman and Bullock, argued

that andria school officials knew that children were at risk from Lawson

but did nothing to protect them.

Key evidence came from a former student who testified that he told the

principal about Lawson's sexual abuse of him during the 1970s. The principal

had observed inappropriate behavior on other occasions. Despite this, the

principal did not report allegations to school administrators for several

months.

According to the Washington Post:

" A federal jury decided yesterday that the andria School Board and

a former elementary school principal should pay more than $1 million for

being " deliberately indifferent " to signs that one of their teachers was a

child molester. "

" Imposing an unusually high penalty against a school system, the jury

ordered the School Board to pay $700,000 to Baynard, who was abused

by the teacher starting in 1990 when he was a sixth-grader at

Barrett Elementary School. The jury said the Barrett principal at the time,

Malone, was liable for $350,000. "

Legal experts and educators said " . . . the size of the damages

imposed against andria (Virginia) schools would send a warning to school

systems nationwide. "

A spokesman for the American Association of School Administrators was

quoted as saying, " This is the largest award I'm aware of for a trial that

went all the way. "

Maybe 20 year old Baynard summed it up best: " Accountability

was the key. And now, there's accountability. "

Pete and Pam c/o slaw & The Special Ed Advocate P. O.

Box 1008 Deltaville, VA 23043 Phone: 804-257-0857

Website: http://www.wrightslaw.com Email:webmaster@...

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Spring 2000 Saturday Series On Autism: Spectrum Center

Spectrum Center is offering its second round of workshops for parents

of children with Autism as part of its Saturday Series on Autism. Parents

and professionals who work with children with Autism are invited to attend a

special series of workshops featuring topics of interest presented by

Spectrum Center professional staff who are leaders in Applied Behavior

Analysis and Autism. The workshops are designed to share the very latest

effective strategies for working with children with autism, and to provide

practical alternatives for parents and professional staff. Individuals may

attend one or both workshops.

Save these dates!

o 5/6/2000

Using Applied Behavior Analysis to 9:00-12:00 p.m.

Reduce Challenging Behaviors

This is a REPEAT of the workshop offered on October 23, 1999

This workshop focuses on determining why challenging behaviors occur

(their function) and strategies for eliminating these behaviors. Treatment

suggestions will cover prevention, development of alternative behaviors, and

responding to the misbehaviors. Behaviors addressed will include

self-injurious behaviors, self-stimulatory and destructive behaviors.

Presented by Ronnie Detrich, Clinical Director, Spectrum Center

o 5/13/00 Pivotal Response Training 9:00 - 12:00 p.m.

This is a NEW workshop never before offered in the Saturday Series.

This workshop will focus on effective strategies to increase

children's language skills. Strategies will emphasize naturalistic methods

that can be applied at home, through the day, and in naturally occurring

opportunities. Emphasis will be placed on the teaching of pivotal behaviors

that lead to wide-spread positive effects. Methods such as Natural Language

Paradigm, Incidental Teaching and Pivotal Response Training will be

discussed.

Presented by K. Haymes, Ph.D. Senior Autism Specialist,

Spectrum Center

Location: Spectrum Center, 2855 Telegraph Avenue, Suite 309,

Berkeley (near corner of Ashby and Telegraph)

Call Chapralis at (510) 845-1321 for reservations. Free

Parking. Enter through the front door of the building. Refreshments will be

served. The Spectrum Center Autism Saturday Series is Free of Charge.

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Pittsburgh People Sought

I contacted a pittsburgh newspaper who is doing an autism story, they

said they can run a side bar about the rally, but they need to talk to

someone from Pittsburgh who is attending . If that is you, please contact me

asap!

Steph a1a2ana3@...

* * *

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* * *

Vitamin Pills Don't Stand Up To Science

[by a Vogel. ABC News.]

http://abcnews.go.com/sections/living/DailyNews/antioxidants000315.html

Vitamin pills that millions of Americans are taking to ward off

disease do no good, say experts in the field, and in some cases even

increase the risk of illness.

Though early research raised scientists' hopes that taking vitamins C,

E, beta-carotene and the other nutrients known as antioxidants might be a

hedge against cancer and heart disease, the latest studies don't back that

up.

" It's my feeling that [antioxidants] do at least as much harm as good,

and often more, " says Dr. Victor Herbert, professor of medicine at Mount

Sinai School of Medicine in New York. The Promise of AntioxidantsWhat

originally propelled antioxidants into the spotlight was their ability to

battle free radicals. Free radicals, which are caused by normal metabolism,

react with other compounds in our cells, causing damage that can lead to

cancer and cardiovascular disease. Antioxidants are thought to soak up free

radicals like a sponge.

People who eat fruits and vegetables, which have a lot of antioxidants

in them, have a lower risk for cancer, heart disease and many other chronic

conditions, and scientists believe that antioxidants are key disease

fighting agents in these foods. The question is, can taking antioxidants in

pill form to boost the levels in the body provide additional health

benefits? In general, the answer has been no.

" A little bit of a good thing is OK, " says Madelyn Fernstrom, director

of the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center's Weight Management Center.

" But if you try to push it, it may not be health beneficial. " As an example,

she cites study results about the antioxidant beta-carotene, which is found

naturally in carrots and many other deep yellow vegetables.

" When beta-carotene was tested in smokers, " says Fernstrom, " they

found that their health actually got worse. " Beta-carotene supplements

increased the risk for lung cancer and death from all causes.

" There's clearly enough evidence to say that everyone should not be

taking beta-carotene, " says Rimm, associate professor of epidemiology

and nutrition at the Harvard School of Public Health. What About C and E?As

for vitamin C, a study presented earlier this month at a meeting of the

American Heart Association showed that taking just 500 milligrams a day may

speed up hardening of the arteries. Prior to that meeting, three large-scale

studies showed that vitamin C does not improve the survival rates of people

with cancer.

While scientists like Rimm still hold out hope that vitamin E

supplements will lower the risk of first-time heart disease, recent research

has shown that for people who already have heart disease, E provides no

benefit. Other large trials looking at vitamin E's health benefits have

yielded mixed results. While ongoing trials may show some advantage to

taking E supplements, Rimm says, " I don't think there's enough evidence now

to say everyone should be taking it. "

In spite of the scientific results, antioxidants are among the most

popular dietary supplements. Twenty four percent of Americans take E and 23

percent take C, according to one estimate in the Mayo Clinic Proceedings .

For comparison, 42 percent take a multivitamin. Pills Don't Equal

VegetablesHerbert says antioxidant pills don't prevent disease as well as

was originally expected because the way the vitamin supplements work in the

body is more complicated than the simple model of a sponge soaking up free

radicals.

In the case of vitamin C, for example, he says that when it is taken

along with iron it actually triggers the release of more free radicals

instead of sopping them up. In some circumstances vitamin C acts like an

antioxidant, but in others it doesn't. " The same is true, " Herbert says,

" for other so-called antioxidants. "

The bottom line - supported by a recent statement on antioxidants from

the American Heart Association - is that antioxidants are best obtained

through food. Cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussel

sprouts, and cabbage are loaded with antioxidants. So are berries and citrus

fruits. " All the things everybody's mother always said were good for them, "

says Fernstrom.

Just five fruits and vegetables a day will significantly lower your

risk of disease. And if you feel like you're on the run and don't always

have time to eat a healthy diet, many experts say take a daily multivitamin

that covers 100 percent of the recommended daily allowance for vitamins and

minerals - and no more.

____________________________________________________________

" Hear Their Silence "

Rally for Autism in Washington, DC April 8

Autism Resource Konnection

1-877-662-8847 http://www.ARK-INC.org

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Editor: Lenny Schafer | Eastern Editor: | News Wire: Ron Sleith

schafer@... | PhD | Kay Stammers

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