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Education Week: Supplementary Reading Programs Found Ineffective

Education Week: Supplementary Reading Programs Found Ineffective

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GAO Report: "Seclusions and Restraints" Available Now

The Government Accounting Office just released their reports focused on children with special needs in private and public schools. The report is titled: "Seclusions and Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers"

GAO found no federal laws restricting the use of seclusion and restraints in public and private schools and widely divergent laws at the state level. Although GAO could not determine whether allegations were widespread, GAO did find hundreds of cases of alleged abuse and death related to the use of these methods on school children during the past two decades. Examples of these cases include a 7 year old purportedly dying after being held face down for hours by school staff, 5 year olds allegedly being tied to chairs with bungee cords and duct tape by their teacher and suffering broken arms and bloody noses, and a 13 year old reportedly hanging himself in a seclusion room after prolonged confinement.

For additional information:

Seclusions and Restraints: Selected Cases of Death and Abuse at Public and Private Schools and Treatment Centers

GAO-09-719T,  May 19, 2009

Summary (HTML)   Highlights Page (PDF)   Full Report (PDF, 62 pages)