Lake Washington School District imposes longest restraint yet, in the midst of a legal challenge
Parents of a severely autistic 13-year-old boy in Sammamish, Wash., learned today that Inglewood Middle School locked him in an isolation cell for 36 minutes yesterday in response to disability-related behavior. It is the longest period of forced isolation reported to the parents so far, and it caused unusual distress to the student, who has been forcibly isolated repeatedly – up to 16 times a day – since last spring.
“My son was so anxious that he could not go to school this morning,” said the father, Adam Burns. “We have received dozens of isolation reports, but this was the worst in our memory.”
The school’s report of the 36-minute restraint comes in the midst of the parents’ legal battle challenging the Lake Washington School District’s policies regarding physical restraint and isolation of students with disabilities. The School Board has adopted a policy authorizing staff members to physically restrain and lock up disabled students for any “unpredicted spontaneous behavior,” regardless of whether that behavior poses any serious danger.
The policy authorizes the use of handcuffs, pepper spray, tasers and batons against students in special education. There is no similar policy for students who are not disabled and have better control of their behavior.
School districts around the state increasingly allow the physical restraint and isolation of students with disabilities, drawing widespread concern from parent groups and child advocates. "This is an issue of great concern to our organization's constituents statewide,” said Arzu Forough, director of Washington Autism Alliance & Advocacy. “This particular child is very familiar to us,” she said, adding that he has “never posed a danger to himself or others" when participating in her organization’s recreation programs.
On November 7, the boy’s parents filed a complaint with the Washington Office of Administrative Hearings alleging that the Lake Washington School District has violated his right to an appropriate individualized education. The complaint alleges that the district’s restraint and isolation policies are “unlawful, unauthorized by federal law and discriminatory.” The school district has denied the allegations, and has refused to withdraw an “aversive intervention plan” which directs the staff to force the boy into an isolation cell if he cannot calm down when he is upset. Due to severe autism, the boy cannot express his feelings verbally, and sometimes grabs staff members to communicate that something is wrong.
“We want the school to teach our son how to communicate, and to behave safely,” said the boy’s mother Nyree Krikorian. “Punishing him for behavior he can’t control doesn’t teach him anything except that adults don’t care about him. His behavior is much worse since the isolation began at school.”
For more information, contact Adam Burns and Nyree Krikorian at 425 681-0036, Arzu Forough at 425 590-7231, or the parents’ attorney Katherine George at 425 802-1052.