felixthecat
August 15th, 2008, 01:35 PM
Georgia 8th-grader’s suicide spurs lawsuit
By JOSE PAGLIERY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jonathan King told teachers at his north Georgia alternate public school that he couldn’t stand being locked within the four concrete walls of a small seclusion room.
In 2004, just weeks after threatening suicide, the 13-year-old eighth-grader hanged himself in the room, using a cord a teacher provided him to hold up his pants, court records show.
This room held Jonathan King up to seven hours at a time, according to court records.
Gainesville starts its new school year, Jonathan’s parents are suing the program and the agency that oversees it. Don and Tina King of Murrayville, just outside Gainesville, say the treatment their son received at the school was unconstitutional and the school failed to protect him from self-harm. A north Georgia judge is expected to decide soon whether the King’s case should be dismissed or sent to a jury trial.
Alpine, which started its school year last week, serves each year about 200 northeast Georgia children ages 5 to 21 with severe behavioral or emotional disabilities.
The Kings initially sued Georgia’s Department of Education, as well as Alpine and the Pioneer Regional Education Service Agency, under which the program operates. But Hall County Chief Superior Court Judge C. Andrew Fuller dropped the case against the state in February, ruling that the Department of Education was not mandated to create seclusion-room regulation.
...
The school followed federal law and successfully carried out its policy of the room’s use, Hartley said during a recent hearing related to the case. The school uses seclusion rooms, found in some psychiatric and special-education facilities, to help students regain control if they become a physical danger.
Hartley also said there was no evidence that Alpine staff knew Jonathan was suicidal. (Gee, I thought they were the EXPERTS)
...
Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at age 5, Jonathan attended special classes from kindergarten until teachers suggested he be sent to Alpine. The school has small classrooms staffed by social workers and instructors.
Dennis Cormier, Alpine’s current director, said the program is “for students severe enough that they can’t handle any time in a regular school,” such as those who become physically aggressive. The program attempts to improve behavior and social skills, Cormier said.
“Here, they’re very nurtured. Our kids know that they’re safe here,” he said. :twitch
Students stay at Alpine for a few months or years before returning to a traditional school setting. The most problematic are sometimes re-admitted.
Jonathan was in and out of Alpine three times.
During his final two-month stay, he was put in a seclusion room 19 times, according to court documents.
Although half of those sessions were less than 25 minutes, he was twice put in a room for more than seven hours a day, records show.
...
Jonathan’s parents said they were aware a time-out technique would be used, but they said they did not know their son would be kept in a seclusion room for hours at a time.
...
While there are data available on suicide in public schools, there are no specific data on suicides in seclusion rooms.
Officials for the Georgia Advocacy Office say Jonathan’s case points to this lack of data and oversight.
“This is not an isolated incident. In Georgia, we don’t have any particular rules about seclusion rooms and restraint,” said Ruby Moore, executive director of the Georgia Advocacy Office, one of 50 state offices providing advocacy for the disabled.
...
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/08/15/8th_grader_suicide.html
:thinking
By JOSE PAGLIERY
The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Jonathan King told teachers at his north Georgia alternate public school that he couldn’t stand being locked within the four concrete walls of a small seclusion room.
In 2004, just weeks after threatening suicide, the 13-year-old eighth-grader hanged himself in the room, using a cord a teacher provided him to hold up his pants, court records show.
This room held Jonathan King up to seven hours at a time, according to court records.
Gainesville starts its new school year, Jonathan’s parents are suing the program and the agency that oversees it. Don and Tina King of Murrayville, just outside Gainesville, say the treatment their son received at the school was unconstitutional and the school failed to protect him from self-harm. A north Georgia judge is expected to decide soon whether the King’s case should be dismissed or sent to a jury trial.
Alpine, which started its school year last week, serves each year about 200 northeast Georgia children ages 5 to 21 with severe behavioral or emotional disabilities.
The Kings initially sued Georgia’s Department of Education, as well as Alpine and the Pioneer Regional Education Service Agency, under which the program operates. But Hall County Chief Superior Court Judge C. Andrew Fuller dropped the case against the state in February, ruling that the Department of Education was not mandated to create seclusion-room regulation.
...
The school followed federal law and successfully carried out its policy of the room’s use, Hartley said during a recent hearing related to the case. The school uses seclusion rooms, found in some psychiatric and special-education facilities, to help students regain control if they become a physical danger.
Hartley also said there was no evidence that Alpine staff knew Jonathan was suicidal. (Gee, I thought they were the EXPERTS)
...
Diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder at age 5, Jonathan attended special classes from kindergarten until teachers suggested he be sent to Alpine. The school has small classrooms staffed by social workers and instructors.
Dennis Cormier, Alpine’s current director, said the program is “for students severe enough that they can’t handle any time in a regular school,” such as those who become physically aggressive. The program attempts to improve behavior and social skills, Cormier said.
“Here, they’re very nurtured. Our kids know that they’re safe here,” he said. :twitch
Students stay at Alpine for a few months or years before returning to a traditional school setting. The most problematic are sometimes re-admitted.
Jonathan was in and out of Alpine three times.
During his final two-month stay, he was put in a seclusion room 19 times, according to court documents.
Although half of those sessions were less than 25 minutes, he was twice put in a room for more than seven hours a day, records show.
...
Jonathan’s parents said they were aware a time-out technique would be used, but they said they did not know their son would be kept in a seclusion room for hours at a time.
...
While there are data available on suicide in public schools, there are no specific data on suicides in seclusion rooms.
Officials for the Georgia Advocacy Office say Jonathan’s case points to this lack of data and oversight.
“This is not an isolated incident. In Georgia, we don’t have any particular rules about seclusion rooms and restraint,” said Ruby Moore, executive director of the Georgia Advocacy Office, one of 50 state offices providing advocacy for the disabled.
...
http://www.ajc.com/metro/content/metro/stories/2008/08/15/8th_grader_suicide.html
:thinking