Time to put eyes on how SFUSD does seclusion and restraint
Beth Kelly’s experience may be not uncommon
Friends,
I started this substack three years ago and I then did a profile of SFUSD mom and budget watchdog Beth Kelly. She recently went public with a truly heartwrenching tale of how the public schools treated her son. As someone who has undiagnosed neurodiverse family members, I have been following these sorts of cases over the years. Please give a read to Beth’s own words, share, and maybe follow through on her suggestions, should the situation apply. Laurance
From Beth:
Friends,
I want to thank all of you for your support. I'm so incredibly grateful.
I've heard from parents "who would love to talk about it but can't." Many parents have, in essence, NDA provisions in place. Please look at your NDAs/underlying agreements and/or ask your attorney about whether you can talk about incidents that your child endured. Meaning, NOT about the existence, non-existence, or content of any NDA-like agreement, but the incidents themselves.
Below are action items, scroll down for more information:
If your child was secluded or restrained in California
Media outlets are interested in doing in-depth reporting on seclusion and restraint
If your child was secluded or restrained in SFUSD (any time period)
SFUSD's Community Advisory Committee for Special Education (CAC) wants to know about ANY seclusions and restraints in SFUSD.
CAC Meeting on May 5 from 7-9pm - Open to the public on Zoom - this is likely to have discussion of seclusion and restraint.
If you are a Californian
Sample support letter to representatives in support of SB 483 (banning prone restraint)
If your child has been secluded or restrained (or are a person with knowledge of S&R)
News Sources Are Interested in Doing In-Depth Reporting on Seclusion and Restraint
I want to make you aware of a few news pieces that came out since I filed the complaint:
KQED Radio Piece: https://omny.fm/shows/kqed-segmented-audio/kqed-newscast-93b493e6-ecd6-4815-ac74-45bc23755c79?in_playlist=kqed-newscast
SF Standard Article: https://sfstandard.com/2024/03/25/sfusd-restraint-seclusion-reporting/
If your child has been secluded or restrained, these outlets are interested in going more in depth on these issues. If you are willing to reach out with your story, please contact:
Stephanie Baer: sbaer@sfstandard.com
Sara Hossaini: shossaini@kqed.org
If your child has been secluded or restrained in SFUSD (or are a person with knowledge of S&R)
SFUSD Special Education Community Advisory Committee (CAC) Wants to Know About ANY AND ALL Seclusions and Restraints in SFUSD
If your child was secluded or restrained in SFUSD, the SFUSD CAC wants to hear about ANY incidents that have occurred within SFUSD. Please reach out to the committee directly at: CACSpEdSF@gmail.com
Seclusion and restraint reporting is likely to become an agendized item on the CAC's Executive Board Meeting on April 3, 2024, 7-9pm on Zoom. This meeting is open to the public. RSVP:cacspedsf@gmail.com.
If you are a Californian
Please reach out to your representatives on SB 483 - Sample Letter Below
Senate Bill (SB) 483 (Cortese) would ban the use of prone restraint in schools. Please email your legislators urging them to support this bill, and please ask that they work with Senator Cortese to delete the second sentence of Ed. Code Section 49005.1(f)(1), which currently excludes escorts from seclusion and restraint reporting (Ed Code Section 49006). Escorts are unquestionably restraints of a child, and this loophole allows Districts to evade reporting on these restraints.
To find your representative:
https://findyourrep.legislature.ca.gov/
Assemblymember Ting: https://a19.asmdc.org/contact
Assemblymember Haney: https://a17.asmdc.org/contact
Senator Wiener: https://sd11.senate.ca.gov/contact
The message to legislators can be as simple as:
Dear [Senator/Assemblymember _____],
I am a constituent in your district. As a [parent/teacher/community member/etc.], I am asking for your support of Senate Bill (SB) 483 (Cortese). This important bill would ban the use of prone restraint in schools. Only a few years ago, prone restraint resulted in the death of Max Benson, a young autistic student in Davis. This bill cannot wait; California students need to be protected from this dangerous practice.
I ask that you also work with Senator Cortese to strengthen the bill by deleting the second sentence of Ed. Code Section 49005.1(f)(1), which currently excludes "escorts" from seclusion and restraint reporting (Ed. Code Section 49006). Escorts are unquestionably restraints of a child, and the legislature needs to close this loophole.
Again, thank you all for your support. I greatly appreciate it.
In solidarity,
Beth
Added note from Beth:
CAC will be presenting its annual report to the SFUSD Board of Ed on 4/16