Mayor Michelle Wu mentioned the delay in notifying a metropolis mom that her baby was seen restrained in a chair with hand-rigged nylon straps on the Condon School in Southie might result in a evaluate of reporting insurance policies in BPS colleges.
After recognizing the kid strapped to the chair rigged with nylon straps and duct tape on Feb. 14, an educator reported the incident on to the state Department of Children and Families and disregarded the college, Wu mentioned.
This brought on a “lapse” of communication between college educators and the kid’s mom, who solely heard from the state company, the mayor added throughout a “Java with Jimmy” podcast interview Wednesday.
“That chain of who does what when, and how do we make sure that family members are the first to know, that is also a really important part of policy, and I think will be looked at here,” Wu mentioned on the radio present.
The 3-year-old’s mom, Anacelia Cuevas, 30, mentioned the “nightmare” incident was punitive and left her nonverbal son traumatized. She mentioned she was solely notified by DCF on Feb. 28, two weeks after the reported incident, and plans to sue the district.
On Tuesday, BPS Superintendent Mary Skipper indicated there was a “failure of communication” involving the BPS central workplace, the Condon School and DCF, citing the week-long college trip the week after the incident. Skipper apologized to the mom for the “extremely jarring” approach that she was notified.
Asked what insurance policies could also be reviewed, Wu mentioned she “didn’t want to jump to conclusions, but it seems like there may have been a breach of existing policy.”
The district and DCF said they’re investigating the incident, and three employees members, together with a minimum of one instructor, have been suspended.
“There already are policies as to the very, very limited circumstances where a chair, again, that is designed for that purpose, can be used for that purpose, and that is usually tied to a specific notation and agreement and understanding with the family,” Wu mentioned.
The chair was not designed for that goal, having been altered with nylon straps and duct tape to resemble a makeshift highchair, Wu mentioned.
A chair designed with straps could also be used inside colleges for mobility or bodily stability in sure situations laid out in a baby’s Individualized Education Plan (IEP), Wu mentioned, however a hand-made chair with restraints wouldn’t be permitted for these makes use of.
The mayor fastidiously clarified that the reported use of duct tape within the incident might have led to a false impression of the state of affairs, stating there are pictures “when you hear certain words what you may imagine in your mind.”
“I just want to also clarify that it wasn’t a situation where duct tape was being applied to the child or arms or anything like that, but not to downplay the seriousness of it still,” Wu mentioned.
Wu acknowledged the seriousness of the “breach of trust” and the necessity for “serious consequences,” noting as a mom she cried each time she introduced her youngsters to a brand new daycare or pre-Okay.
“In some ways, the most sacred kind of care that we perform as a city is taking care of, growing, investing in, loving the children and students of the city as our own,” Wu mentioned. “And so any lapse on this front is just something that’s unacceptable.”
Source: www.bostonherald.com”