Electric shock therapy in schools?
By laylomo
@laylomo (165)
United States
December 23, 2007 6:14pm CST
From thebostonchannel.com -
"State officials have allowed a controversial special education school to use electric shock treatments on students for another year.
But the state's Office of Health and Human Services said the extension for the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center comes with conditions. The center must prove it uses shock treatments only for the most dangerous and self-destructive behaviors, and must also must show the treatments reduce those behaviors.
The decision comes after an August incident in which two emotionally disturbed students were wrongly given dozens of shocks after a prank call from a person posing as a supervisor.
A state report found that staff made multiple mistakes when they followed the prank caller's directions.
The report by the Massachusetts Department of Early Education and Care said six staffers at a Stoughton residence run by the Canton-based school had reason to doubt the orders to administer the shocks, but did nothing to stop it.
The six staff members and video surveillance worker on duty that night were fired on Oct. 1.
After the Aug. 26 call, the teens, age 16 and 19, were awakened in the middle of the night and given the shock treatments, at times while their legs and arms were bound. One teen received 77 shocks and the other received 29. One boy was treated for two first-degree burns.
The called said he was ordering the punishments because the teens had misbehaved earlier in the evening. But none of the staffers had witnessed any problems.
The report says the caller was a former resident of the center with knowledge of the staff, residents, and layout of the Stoughton home. Police are looking into filing criminal charges.
The staffers were described as concerned and reluctant about the orders, but failed to verify them with the central office or check treatment plans to make sure the teens could receive that level of shock therapy, the report said.
The incident in Stoughton renewed calls by school critics fro the state to ban the shock treatments. But state officials said the parents of some resident defend the school and its methods."
What do you think of this story? Moreover, what is your stance on the use of electroshock therapy, in schools as well as in general?
3 responses
@Commonsense0 (516)
• United States
28 Dec 07
I don't think it is ever ok to use shock therapy, especially at a school.
And I find it hard to believe that they would administer that many shocks to those teens when they didn't have any evidence.
@Netsbridge (3253)
• United States
28 Dec 07
Well, you better start believing it, CommonsenseO: It is even worse than anyone could imagine. What if I told you that the US government has, for years, been using electronic devices to manipulate people (with and without the knowledge and consent of the victims)? I believe Isaac Asimov in his sci-fi "Evidence" was indeed hinting on the true state of events in our USA! Check-out:
Human or Robot? - http://www.geocities.com/ulafrique/nanotechnology.html
No, this is not science fiction!
@Netsbridge (3253)
• United States
29 Dec 07
Laylomo, my statements are not mere theories; they are facts. And, I am not the only one that has put two and two together regarding this issue. Please, do also check-out:
Manipulation via of Hi-Tech - http://www.haarp.net
@bobmnu (8157)
• United States
24 Dec 07
This is a preblem created by the Nanny State Do Gooders. When IDEA (the Special Education Law) was created it was to make sure that students with special needs were receiving services from schools. The program has been expanded to include not only education but medical services, mental health services, physical thearpy, and many other services that teachers were never trained for and schools were not meant to provide. IDEA allows for parent to dictate how their child will be educated and how the school will treat them. This is done because the parents are allowed sue the school and the school has to pay for the parents lawyer if the parents "prevail". This means that the parents attorney sues over 50 or so things that school is doing wrong and if the school has to change a few of them then the parents "prevail" and the school pays. As a school administrator I was involved in several hearings as a result of the parents filing a complaint. In one case the parents set up a discipline porgram with the school. When it was implemented the parent sued and the attorney filed a complaint listing over 200 items the parent was challenging. One included the teacher meeting with the parent , at the parents request, without giving the parent 24 hours notice. The issue with discipline was never resolved but the parent "prevailed" and the school paid $30,000 to the parent attorney and the schools cost of $20,000. Schools are being required to do things that have no connection to educating young people. The schools have to take the studetns that come to them. Mental Institutations have released students they could not controland the school have to admit them. When a student is released from Juvinal Detention they enroll in school. IF the Schools expell a special education student, they must still provide services to the student.
Public Schools are becomming the dumping ground for the social ills of society. They have to take everyone that comes to their door, they have to feed them and in some cities provide medical attention. They are a babysitting service and have to provide parental education. With all these duties they are still held to providing and education such that 70 to 80% of the students must acheive based on testing. We pay a baseball player 5 to 10 million a year to hit the ball one out of three times. Teachers get paid 30 to 50 thousand a year to be successful 80% of the time.
