Contra Costa County to end isolation of special ed students in juvenile hall
Credit: Courtesy Contra Costa Canton
John A. Davis Juvenile Hall in Martinez
Credit: Courtesy Contra Costa County
John A. Davis Juvenile Hall in Martinez
Contra Costa Canton'southward probation section volition ban the practice of locking students with disabilities in their cells for extended periods of time equally punishment for their behavior in class, while the Contra Costa County Role of Education will retain an exterior skilful to ensure appropriate educational services for disabled students in detention, according to legal settlements appear Tuesday.
The two settlements were appear by the public interest law firms Disability Rights Advocates and Public Counsel, which filed a form action lawsuit in 2022 in U.Due south. District Court in San Francisco with iii disabled students at Juvenile Hall equally named plaintiffs. The suit alleged that some special education students repeatedly were confined to their cells as punishment for more than 22 hours a twenty-four hours.
"This is a big step forward," said Mary-Lee Smith, managing attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. "It focuses much more on what juvenile halls are designed to do, which is to rehabilitate."
Under the settlement, which must be approved by a judge, neither the county nor the Office of Education admitted any wrongdoing. On Tuesday, the Office of Education disagreed that locking students in their cells constituted lonely confinement, as the lawyers have maintained.
"Nosotros take disputed this case commencement to finish," said Terry Koehne, chief communications officer for the Contra Costa County Part of Didactics. "Probation will enter a classroom and escort a educatee out, if the student is causing disruption," he said. "It's much like when you send a student out of any classroom."
The settlement would let the canton to place students in cell confinement for no longer than 4 hours. After four hours, staff would release the student from the cell, constitute an individualized plan of action for the student or consult a mental health professional person.
The settlement would bring positive behavior strategies — long established as central to special instruction — into a court school. Probation officers, educators and county mental health staff would exist required meet every bit a group at least once a month to coordinate how they are working with struggling students. Experts in behavioral incentives would review practices at the Juvenile Hall and at the Mt. McKinley School, which is located at Juvenile Hall.
"This is a big stride frontward," said Mary-Lee Smith, managing attorney at Disability Rights Advocates. "It focuses much more on what juvenile halls are designed to practice, which is to rehabilitate."
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Source: https://edsource.org/2015/contra-costa-county-to-end-isolation-of-special-ed-students-in-juvenile-hall/80107
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