美国国家公共电台 NPR Desperation And Broken Trust When Schools Restrain Students Or Lock Them In Rooms

 

STEVE INSKEEP, HOST:

Do we really know what public schools are doing to control troubled kids? Sometimes teachers seclude¹ and restrain children. They mainly do this to students with disabilities or special needs who are considered dangerous to themselves or others. The government tells districts to report every time this happens, and tens of thousands of cases are reported. Yet people who track this issue suspect the numbers fall short. Reporters from two of our member stations have been investigating, and we start in Fairfax, Va., with Jenny Abamu of WAMU.

JENNY ABAMU, BYLINE²: Every time Jennifer Tidd's son was secluded³ or restrained at school, she received a letter from his teachers. Her son has autism and behavioral issues, and in three years, Tidd got more than 400 letters. We sat in her living room thumbing through the stack of papers as her son played a recorder nearby.

JENNIFER TIDD: I see this pile of documents that's 5 inches tall that represents hundreds of hours of being locked into a room, and I feel, you know, horrible. And I'm actually embarrassed that, you know, what kind of parent lets their - lets this happen to their child?

ABAMU: For years, Tidd's district, Fairfax County, told the federal government this wasn't happening, that it never secluded or restrained students. That can mean anything from holding or using restraints on a student to isolating⁴ them in a separate room. But documents obtained by WAMU revealed hundreds of cases in Fairfax County. And Fairfax isn't the only district struggling to accurately⁵ report. Jackie Nowicki works for the Government Accountability Office, basically the federal government's watchdog. She says media reports and testimony⁶ from lawmakers lead them to believe that many districts aren't following the rules.

JACKIE NOWICKI: When seclusion⁷ and restraint is inappropriately used, it can create some really dangerous situations.

ABAMU: In early May, Education Secretary Betsy DeVos said her department is auditing⁸ some districts where the numbers don't appear to add up. Following the WAMU investigation⁹, Fairfax County is now reporting almost 1,700 cases of seclusion and restraint for the 2017-'18 school year alone.

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

SCOTT BRABRAND: It is clear that as a system we have fallen short. I pledge to you...

ABAMU: At a school board meeting in April, Fairfax County Superintendent¹⁰ Scott Brabrand said the district is trying to make things right, and...

(SOUNDBITE OF ARCHIVED RECORDING)

BRABRAND: To heal the hurt and systematically¹¹ address these concerns around restraint and seclusion.

ABAMU: Jennifer Tidd still thinks about all the time her son spent in the district's seclusion rooms, which look like concrete closets. Tidd's son has very limited verbal capability¹², and Tidd says the repeated seclusions¹³ traumatized him, making him more violent and causing him to hate school.

TIDD: He would poop and pee himself to get out of the seclusion room. He was so desperate to get out. This is a child who's completely potty trained since he was 5.

ABAMU: The school district wouldn't comment on Tidd's case. Her son is 13 now, and Fairfax County pays for him to attend a private school for students with disabilities. Tidd says he hasn't been secluded once in the seven months he's been there, and his behavior has dramatically improved. For NPR News, I'm Jenny Abamu in Washington, D.C.

ROB MANNING, BYLINE: And I'm Rob Manning in Vancouver, Wash., with 10-year-old Landon.

LANDON: I have something called Asperger's syndrome¹⁴, which is a specialty¹⁵ type of autism, where - well, I can get really obsessed¹⁶ with things I like.

MANNING: Landon also has things he really does not like. And he isn't always in control of how he reacts to them. Landon remembers getting so upset once in class that he ran off. School staff chased him.

LANDON: They shoved me to the ground. They grabbed my wrist, and they dragged me up the hill by my wrist. And then they hugged me in just, like, a wrestling grip.

MANNING: Like many states, Washington requires that parents like Landon's mom, Sarah McPartland, be notified whenever a child is restrained.

SARAH MCPARTLAND: But the law also states that it should be talked about. The parent and child should come in to talk about it, which never occurred in any of our cases.

MANNING: McPartland is one of many parents in the community who say incidents of restraint aren't always reported to them, and that breakdown¹⁷ has consequences for families. In McPartland's case, she heard about Landon's restraint months later from an employee who had left the district.

MCPARTLAND: It's never great to be in a position as a parent when you got to go back to your child and say I heard that this happened and that you're sorry, and the response from your child is, what does it matter? You weren't there to help me.

MANNING: District officials declined to comment on Landon's case. The district settled a lawsuit¹⁸ from Landon's family, but it did not admit any wrongdoing. Incidents of restraint and seclusion seem to be on the rise in Vancouver. The most recent numbers show an increase of more than 50% from the year before. The district says that increase could have been caused by a number of things, including program changes or changes to the student population. In many cases, the same students are being restrained multiple times. That's what happened to Cara Bailey's son, Colin. The 12-year-old has autism and is mostly nonverbal.

CARA BAILEY: The only way that we realized that he was getting restrained was he came home with handprints on him.

MANNING: Bailey says a child psychiatrist¹⁹ diagnosed Colin with post-traumatic stress disorder²⁰, and he throws fits just passing by a school in the car.

BAILEY: That trust was broken for him. And it has a huge effect on him.

MANNING: Today, Bailey homeschools her son. Many educators say they don't want to restrain students but sometimes it's necessary to keep the student, teachers and other kids safe. And at times, restraints can help. Landon says he once had an aide who was able to calm him down.

LANDON: She didn't hold me down. She just sort of constrained²¹ me - like, tight pressure, which actually was kind of relaxing.

MANNING: But it's hard to do a restraint perfectly²², especially in the middle of a chaotic²³ classroom. Teachers often get injured.

JOEL NIXON: So being trained, being mentored²⁴, and then having actual experience is important for staff working with kids who become escalated²⁵ and dangerous.

MANNING: Joel Nixon is a school social worker in nearby Clackamas, Ore. He's spent 20 years working with students with disabilities. He says, more and more, educators are learning to address the needs of individual kids with disabilities before they get physical. Nixon says that will make for safer classrooms and better long-term outcomes.

NIXON: Not only will they not be restrained at school, they won't grow up to be adults that have difficulties with physical aggression²⁶ and dangerous behavior.

MANNING: But first, schools need more staff and training. And that means more money, a resource that's already stretched in public schools.

For NPR News, I'm Rob Manning in Vancouver, Wash.

1 seclude   

vi.使隔离，使孤立，使隐退

参考例句：

• You can't seclude yourself from the world.人不能与世隔绝。
• To find a quiet place to study,Bruce had to seclude himself in the attic.布鲁斯不得不躲在阁楼上，才能寻得一个安静的地区性方读书。

2 byline   

n.署名；v.署名

参考例句：

• His byline was absent as well.他的署名也不见了。
• We wish to thank the author of this article which carries no byline.我们要感谢这篇文章的那位没有署名的作者。

3 secluded   

adj.与世隔绝的；隐退的；偏僻的v.使隔开，使隐退( seclude的过去式和过去分词)

参考例句：

• Some people like to strip themselves naked while they have a swim in a secluded place. 一些人当他们在隐蔽的地方游泳时，喜欢把衣服脱光。 来自《简明英汉词典》
• This charming cottage dates back to the 15th century and is as pretty as a picture, with its thatched roof and secluded garden. 这所美丽的村舍是15世纪时的建筑，有茅草房顶和宁静的花园，漂亮极了，简直和画上一样。 来自《简明英汉词典》

4 isolating   

adj.孤立的，绝缘的v.使隔离( isolate的现在分词 )；将…剔出（以便看清和单独处理）；使（某物质、细胞等）分离；使离析

参考例句：

• Colour filters are not very effective in isolating narrow spectral bands. 一些滤色片不能很有效地分离狭窄的光谱带。 来自辞典例句
• This became known as the streak method for isolating bacteria. 这个方法以后就称为分离细菌的划线法。 来自辞典例句

5 accurately   

adv.准确地，精确地

参考例句：

• It is hard to hit the ball accurately.准确地击中球很难。
• Now scientists can forecast the weather accurately.现在科学家们能准确地预报天气。

6 testimony   

n.证词；见证，证明

参考例句：

• The testimony given by him is dubious.他所作的证据是可疑的。
• He was called in to bear testimony to what the police officer said.他被传入为警官所说的话作证。

7 seclusion   

n.隐遁，隔离

参考例句：

• She liked to sunbathe in the seclusion of her own garden.她喜欢在自己僻静的花园里晒日光浴。
• I live very much in seclusion these days.这些天我过着几乎与世隔绝的生活。

8 auditing   

n.审计，查账，决算

参考例句：

• Auditing standards are the rules governing how an audit is performed.收支检查标准是规则统治一个稽核如何被运行。
• The auditing services market is dominated by a few large accounting firms.审计服务市场被几家大型会计公司独占了。

9 investigation   

n.调查，调查研究

参考例句：

• In an investigation,a new fact became known, which told against him.在调查中新发现了一件对他不利的事实。
• He drew the conclusion by building on his own investigation.他根据自己的调查研究作出结论。

10 superintendent   

n.监督人，主管，总监；(英国)警务长

参考例句：

• He was soon promoted to the post of superintendent of Foreign Trade.他很快就被擢升为对外贸易总监。
• He decided to call the superintendent of the building.他决定给楼房管理员打电话。

11 systematically   

adv.有系统地

参考例句：

• This government has systematically run down public services since it took office.这一屆政府自上台以来系统地削减了公共服务。
• The rainforest is being systematically destroyed.雨林正被系统地毀灭。

12 capability   

n.能力；才能；(pl)可发展的能力或特性等

参考例句：

• She has the capability to become a very fine actress.她有潜力成为杰出演员。
• Organizing a whole department is beyond his capability.组织整个部门是他能力以外的事。

13 seclusions   

n.隔绝，隔离，隐居( seclusion的名词复数 )

参考例句：

14 syndrome   

n.综合病症；并存特性

参考例句：

• The Institute says that an unidentified virus is to blame for the syndrome. 该研究所表示,引起这种综合症的是一种尚未确认的病毒。
• Results indicated that 11 fetuses had Down syndrome. 结果表明有11个胎儿患有唐氏综合征。

15 specialty   

n.(speciality)特性，特质；专业，专长

参考例句：

• Shell carvings are a specialty of the town.贝雕是该城的特产。
• His specialty is English literature.他的专业是英国文学。

16 obsessed   

adj.心神不宁的,鬼迷心窍的,沉迷的

参考例句：

• He's obsessed by computers. 他迷上了电脑。
• The fear of death obsessed him throughout his old life. 他晚年一直受着死亡恐惧的困扰。

17 breakdown   

n.垮，衰竭；损坏，故障，倒塌

参考例句：

• She suffered a nervous breakdown.她患神经衰弱。
• The plane had a breakdown in the air,but it was fortunately removed by the ace pilot.飞机在空中发生了故障，但幸运的是被王牌驾驶员排除了。

18 lawsuit   

n.诉讼，控诉

参考例句：

• They threatened him with a lawsuit.他们以诉讼威逼他。
• He was perpetually involving himself in this long lawsuit.他使自己无休止地卷入这场长时间的诉讼。

19 psychiatrist   

n.精神病专家；精神病医师

参考例句：

• He went to a psychiatrist about his compulsive gambling.他去看精神科医生治疗不能自拔的赌瘾。
• The psychiatrist corrected him gently.精神病医师彬彬有礼地纠正他。

20 disorder   

n.紊乱，混乱；骚动，骚乱；疾病，失调

参考例句：

• When returning back,he discovered the room to be in disorder.回家后，他发现屋子里乱七八糟。
• It contained a vast number of letters in great disorder.里面七零八落地装着许多信件。

21 constrained   

adj.束缚的,节制的

参考例句：

• The evidence was so compelling that he felt constrained to accept it. 证据是那样的令人折服，他觉得不得不接受。
• I feel constrained to write and ask for your forgiveness. 我不得不写信请你原谅。

22 perfectly   

adv.完美地，无可非议地，彻底地

参考例句：

• The witnesses were each perfectly certain of what they said.证人们个个对自己所说的话十分肯定。
• Everything that we're doing is all perfectly above board.我们做的每件事情都是光明正大的。

23 chaotic   

adj.混沌的，一片混乱的，一团糟的

参考例句：

• Things have been getting chaotic in the office recently.最近办公室的情况越来越乱了。
• The traffic in the city was chaotic.这城市的交通糟透了。

24 mentored   

v.（无经验之人的）有经验可信赖的顾问( mentor的过去式和过去分词 )

参考例句：

• They had a fantastic dean who really mentored a lot of people. 那儿的教务长非常出色，的确为许多人提供了指导。 来自互联网
• The famous professor mentored him during his years in graduate school. 那位著名的教授在他读研究生期间指导他。 来自互联网

25 escalated   

v.（使）逐步升级( escalate的过去式和过去分词 )；（使）逐步扩大；（使）更高；（使）更大

参考例句：

• The fighting escalated into a full-scale war. 这场交战逐步扩大为全面战争。
• The demonstration escalated into a pitched battle with the police. 示威逐步升级，演变成了一场同警察的混战。

26 aggression   

n.进攻，侵略，侵犯，侵害

参考例句：

• So long as we are firmly united, we need fear no aggression.只要我们紧密地团结，就不必惧怕外来侵略。
• Her view is that aggression is part of human nature.她认为攻击性是人类本性的一部份。