In The Politics of Autism, I discuss the use of restraint and seclusion. Many posts have mentioned these techniques, both in schools and facilities for people with disabilities.
The Folsom Cordova Unified School District was in violation of its use of restraint and seclusion when it comes to students with disabilities, a federal review found. Some of these violations include restraining students for several hours at a time in isolated rooms.
According to the school district, the United States Department of Education Office for Civil Rights launched a review of 20 school districts across the country, Folsom Cordova included. A statement from the school district states the review was launched after the alleged restraint death of Max Benson in 2018.
Benson was a 13-year-old student with autism who went to Guiding Hands of the Davis Joint Unified School District. Guiding Hands is a non-public school that served 140 students at the time, seven of them from Folsom Cordova.
Three staff members were indicted in connection, and Guiding Hands has since closed down.
The review from the Department of Education found that the school district overall "infrequently held Individualized Education Program meetings for students after they were restrained or secluded."
OCR resolved a compliance review of Folsom Cordova Unified School District (CA) finding that their restraint and seclusion policies and practices denied students with disabilities a free appropriate public education (FAPE). https://t.co/o168bYmeKi (1/3) pic.twitter.com/aUuiYX6lcS
— ED Civil Rights (@EDcivilrights) October 12, 2023
