Farm Hill Elementary school, of Middletown, Ct. has been forced to hire full-time psychologists and provide better training to faculty. The hiring came after complaints about scream rooms in the school where special needs children were placed during the school days. The length of the punishments has not been stated.
Parents at this school say they are confident the Board of Education will handle the matter responsibly.
This school does not need more training for the faculty they have, they need specialists who cater to helping the special needs students.
Tricia Belin has two children attending this school. “Closet is pretty much what it is,” Belin told FoxNews.com.
She described the rooms as 6-by-4-foot closet space “scream rooms” for disruptive special needs kids. Belin learned about the rooms last October, but widespread recognition of the mistreatment didn’t come about until mid-January.
When she complained, the school’s principal, Patricia Girard, told Belin that the two closet-sized rooms were considered an “alternative learning environment.”
The school did not specify whether the children were left alone in the small space or accompanied by a faculty member and were vague in explaining the purpose of the rooms.
Freshman elementary education major Sommer SanFilippo, said, “In New York the Board of Education heads come to schools and grade them based on teachers, performance, techniques, etc. Things like these scream rooms do not happen. That’s so disturbing that teachers would lock kids in a closet that are emotionally disturbed.”
Board of Education Chairman Gene Nocera told FOX News, “We understand the parents’ concern and we take their concerns very seriously. We want to be sure our students are being treated safely.”
He stressed that under school policy, no child is to be left alone at any time.
Nocera said that sometime during the week of Jan. 11 was when he first learned about the rooms being used for children with special needs and a “history of behavioral issues.”
I have a feeling that if Nocera had no idea the rooms existed since October of last year when concern was raised, there must be many more, or worse things he is unaware of.
“It’s like he never existed,” said Shelby Baird, a freshman majoring in psychology. “He is not paying attention.”
Schools, of all places, should have the necessary means to take care of every student, special needs included.
Sean Archer has a 10-year-old daughter at the school. He told FOX News that parents were never informed about the rooms and said his child and others are afraid of them.
“She doesn’t want to go to school,” Archer said. “She’s constantly in the nurse’s office trying to get out of there.”
Who would blame her when school custodians have reported to the administration that they have had to clean up blood and urine from their floors and walls?
Other students are disturbed daily by screams coming from the two rooms.
Blood and urine show terrible neglect and must mean the walls are not even padded. This school really thought it OK to lock students into a closet; students who need extra attention and may be harmful to themselves.
“It’s sick that trained teachers have allowed such things to happen. They are slacking on their work not to say something,” said Julie Kessler, a freshman majoring in criminology.
“I don’t want them to use this as a tool to gain control of students,” said Archer. “I think it’s poor judgment on somebody’s behalf.”
According to the Middletown Public School’s website, “The mission of the Middletown Public Schools is to enable all students to achieve at their highest potential by challenging them through a system structured around a common core of knowledge, skills, values, and variety of educational experiences. Through partnerships with family and community, our schools will promote the pursuit of lifelong learning, responsible citizenship and decision making in a culturally diverse world.”
First, let’s recognize the use of ALL students in this promise for achievement. Second, what educational experiences do children get from a closet? Third, there are no educational or helpful lessons to be learned in an empty closet alone, especially when someone could be a danger to themselves.
In the school district’s Statement of Non-Discrimination it states that the school district does not discriminate on many biases listed including “past or present physical or mental disability in any of its education programs, activities, or employment policies.”
For me, this whole statement is shot to hell by the information learned about the school’s negligence.
To add to the madness, Middletown resident Michelle Assad McDonald told the Minaret, “I have a friend whose daughter goes to Farm Hill. She told me that those rooms are where any kid goes when they are bad.”
Now, these rooms are not even secluded to special needs kids. The school is endangering the general population of the school because they do not feel like dealing with disruptions that are expected of young kids.
Part of teaching is knowing how to deal with children’s outbreaks.
Junior Bryce Thomas, majoring in marketing, said, “The lack of responsibility by not looking out for the kids is a letdown. The whole school is responsible for the welfare of the kids.”
Anna Westerholm can be reached at anna.westerholm@spartans.ut.edu.