I am a member of the administrative staff at the Judge Rotenberg Center. I would take issue with Ms. Wernikoff's assertion that the New York City DOE has stopped recommending that special education students be enrolled at the Judge Rotenberg Center as a referral was sent to the school as recently as October 31st.
The Judge Rotenberg Center has been an approved NY State Department of Education program since the 70s and has successfully treated and educated hundreds of the city's most difficult students since that time. JRC continues to accept children from throughout New York State that other programs refuse to accept because they are too difficult to manage. When given the choice, parents almost always choose the very structured behavioral approach and comprehensive educational and vocational services that our school offers as opposed to the alternative of large amounts of medication, seclusion and restraint. It is also clear that Ms. Wernikoff recently jumped on the bandwagon after the original actions by the New York State Department of Education.
As recently as February of this year, employees of the Judge Rotenberg Center were asked and did participate in an impartial hearing on behalf of the New York City Department of Education. It was the case of a sixteen year old emotionally disturbed female student whose mother wanted her to be enrolled in an unapproved program out west. The New York City Department of Education felt that our program was the most appropriate program for the youngster and advocated for us, contesting the mother's choice of schools. At the time, testimony was offered concerning the services that we provide and the appropriateness of our school for this individual student. During examination by the parent's attorney, the issue of aversive procedures was addressed, so for the New York City DOE to now raise objections is absurd as they were advocating for our school at the time. The hearing was lengthy and somewhat involved and clearly all treatment issues were explored. Obviously, nothing has changed between that time and now with respect to the components of our program except the current political atmosphere in NY.
Perhaps it would be helpful to invite each member of the city council to visit our school and then have them visit some of the in-state schools to make a determination for themselves about the level of oversight that Billy�s Law is intended to address. I think if they were to visit some of the in-state schools they could easily come to the conclusion that the location of the school has little to do with oversight as we have developed a number of systems that allow daily oversight of students enrolled in our program. Those systems allow parents and agency officials to track the progress and activities of their children on a daily basis through the use of a secure, dedicated website. The system also allows our high level supervisory staff to closely monitor all activities of both JRC staff and students to ensure the safety and appropriate interaction between staff and students. This system is in effect 24 hours per day. If they were to visit some of the in-state options, they would quickly conclude that there is no such oversight in those programs.
The issue of educating special education students should not be one of location, but should consider the most effective and appropriate services that children should be afforded under the law. The parents of the children that we serve have the right to choose the most appropriate educational setting for their children and no one should take away the right of the parent to choose the form of therapy that they feel is the safest and most appropriate for this fragile population.
Posted by: Ralph Antonelli at November 5, 2006 7:56 AM
I am a parent of a 16 year old boy attending the Judge Rotenberg Center. My son has been in NYC schools since he was 3 years old. Not one placement in New York State has been able to help him. He attended 4 different special education schools within the New York City area and then was placed in an upstate facility. He was uncontrollabe in every single one of those schools. We were asked to move him to different facilities every few years.
All of these officials within the Board of Education and the State Department of Education want to say that the therapy used at JRC is wrong. How is it wrong to try one last thing to help my child? If it werent for JRC, my son would now be tranquilized in the corner of some mental institution, drooling and sitting in his own feces! Is that the NYC Board of Educations answer?
JRC does not have thousands of children under their care...only a very small percentage...I believe it may not even be more than 140 NY children. All are children that have no other alternative! And JRC does not immediately place the students on the adversive therapy. The student is usually in the school for a full year, working with behavior contracts and one-0n-one with teachers and clinicians to try to eliminate negative behaviors. Only after a year will they then implement the adversive therapy, and then only with the parents full consent!
The bottom line here is that no one in the media or the Board of Education or the State Dept. of Education wants to hear from the parents of these children. No one wants to know what our lives have been like, trying to get help for our children. No one wants to hear that this type of therapy does work in certain instances.
No one at JRC is advocating using this therapy on all children...nor are they advocating using it on all children with behavior problems. How many children are in special ed in NYC? And yet we are making such a tremendous fuss over approximately 140 children whose parents are totally involved in their treatment (thats the JRC way of doing things). How about trying to leave some of the decisions in the parents hands.
Posted by: Marilyn Trotman at November 6, 2006 12:24 PM
Dee Cantwell // Sep 22nd 2006 at 8:36 am
Before you can judge, you must live it: I had my son in 5 different placements that were expertised in Autism prior to putting him at JRC. He was expelled from their schools because his level of violence towards himself and others was beyond their control. He put myself, my family membersl, his teachers, and peers in a constant state of danger. Several medications were tried. Ritalin, Cylert, Risperadol, Mellaril. All had no real effect. This school has saved my sons life, and all of those around him as well. If there is no JRC, the next stop for my son is in a straightjacket at a mental instiitution heavily drugged beyond comprehension. He is not harmed at JRC, he is doing awesome, he is well cared for and healthy and happy. Back off.