Lauri and Gene

[Guest guest]

They hauled him toward the desk to write and he sat

down. By then, he was really screaming loud and they said he needed to be

quiet. They took him into a 6x6 foot white walled room with no windows.

They went in with him and shut the door. Drew said he was screaming and

crying. When he finally stopped and they thought he would work, they let him

out and he went back to the couch. They took him in the room three times

Lauri

Hi Lauri

I can certainly relate to the " 6x6 foot white walled room with no windows "

About a year and a half ago I decided to take out of the full-inclusion

setting and try a Special Day Class at another school in the district. After

the

first week I decided to drop-in and see how he was doing and I discovered

that the teacher had moved his desk, him and his aide into a broom closet in the

classroom

and his desk touched one wall and the back of his chair touched the opposite

wall with

a huge air-conditioning unit by his face. The teacher did not like him talking

so loud in

her classroom (remember this is a SDC!!!) was made to be in the closet all

day except

for lunch and recess. His aide was new and she wanted to quit after the first

week. I then

took out of school and filed a report with the school district, and called

the state of Ca

Special Educ Dept. and filed a complaint and talked with the director of CA Spec

Education

The very next day she had 4 visitors from the state and the school district and

they agreed

that the broom closet was -ACTUALLY !!! " A BROOM CLOSET' (they couldn't believe

it.)

I could not believe any teacher would do that, (a form of child abuse and

prejudice). After 20 years of teaching this class (the only SDC and the only

teacher in the city that was qualified to teach the class)

she admitted that she had never taught anyone with Down Syndrome and knew

nothing about

Autism, except what she learned in school 20 years ago. Needless to say, that

class was no

longer an option for . I kept him out of school while I searched for

another setting - and

I love the teachers and aides that has now!!

Sorry to write a book!!!

Kathy (urthman)