A May 2019 report by Disability Rights Maine found more than 20,000 incidents in which physical restraints and seclusion were used on students in Maine schools. That number has gone up every year since 2014, despite increased awareness of and attention to the problem. Experts say restraint and seclusion are ineffective and often dangerous, and the report found that disabled students were disproportionately subjected to these troubling interventions. Current legislation - LD 1376 - seeks to track and reduce schools' use of restraint/seclusion. The bill came out of committee "ought to pass" but was carried over to the next legislative session. This Maine Calling will air on the same day that Maine Public Television re-airs the documentary film "The Kids We Lose” (by Maine filmmaker Lisa Wolfinger) about the methods used by Dr. Ross Greene to more effectively help children with behavioral challenges.
Guests
- Ross Greene, founder, Lives in the Balance; clinical child psychologist and author of the books The Explosive Child, Lost at School, Lost & Found, and Raising Human Beings; developed the model of intervention called Collaborative & Proactive Solutions
- Ben Jones, attorney, Disability Rights Maine, and author of the May 2019 report "Restraint and Seclusion in Maine Schools"
- Pender Makin, Commissioner, Maine Department of Education
- Patty Chamard & Jennifer Johnson - Two mothers with children who've been subjected to restraint and seclusion
Resources
- How Some SchoolsRestrain Or Seclude Students: A Look At A Controversial Practice
- More School Districts Rethink Zero-Tolerance Policies
- When ‘Back to School’ Means Back to Mass-Shooting Fears
- Desperation And Broken Trust When Schools Restrain Students Or Lock Them In Rooms
- U.S. Schools Underreport How Often Students Are Restrained Or Secluded, Watchdog Says
- The Explosive Child