There are many families from counties all over Florida who have children with Autism and Autism Spectrum Disorders that are being restrained, put in time-out and forced locked seclusion rooms in the public school system. Our children are being injured physically and mentally because of their disabilities and the lack of appropriate programs and highly qualified teachers and aides available to educate them.  Most of the aides that are hired have little or no background in children with Autism or Autism Spectrum Disorders.  

Florida has no laws or regulations to protect our children from the over use of restraint and seclusion. Most school districts have no guidelines, no tracking system, no consent from parents and no parent notification in many cases.

Many of our children have little or no communication and the only way they can communicate is through behavior. Because school staff do not understand what our children are trying to say through behaviors, they are punished by being restrained, put in seclusion, put in time out or suspended.  The trauma this has caused our children and the emotional drain to our families should never happen to any child or family.

If you file a complaint with the FLDOE you are filing a complaint with them about them and nothing happens. It's a broken process that many families have tried to get help from only to find that there is no help. And then there are the forged documents that they come up with to prove parents wrong. And let's not forget about retaliation on parents if you speak up too much.

Because filing a complaint with the FLDOE is a waste of time parents have turned to Governor Crist, the School Board, the Department of Children and Family Services, local police departments, Office of Civil Rights, Inspector Generals office, Florida Advocacy Group and so far all we have heard from each group is "there is nothing they can do because they have no authority over public schools."  No authority over children being abused?  It seems that public school districts can do whatever they want and not be held responsible.

By getting this information out in the open we can educate other parents about this growing problem and hopefully find HELP to stop this abuse on our children in the public school system. 

FLORIDA Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
http://floridafamiliesagainstrestraint.blogspot.com/2007/11/advocat-contact-information.html

Families Against Restraint and Seclusion
http://familiesagainstrestraintandseclusion.blogspot.com/

Published June 24,2008