Largo, Florida Elementary School Student Sent to Mental Health Facility WITHOUT Parent’s Permission

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Every once in a while I come across a news story that really gets my blood boiling. This is one of them. Check out the article “Largo School Has autistic Boy, 6, Baker-Acted” at http://www.baynews9.com/article/news/2012/january/369526/Largo-school-has-autistic-boy-6-BakerActed?cid=rss#.TxF5rsCmsVQ.facebook&mid=57.

Here’s the jist of it:

6-year-old Ryder is autistic and throws tantrums when he’s taken away from his usual routine (I can completely understand this! So many children with special needs do this!). The 6-year-old’s school deemed his outbursts too severe and called in “specialists,” who took him OUT of the school and to a Baker Act Facility. The young child spent the night in a mental health facility. Not only was the child locked in the room overnight, but his mother was only notified AFTER her son was escorted to the facility. The district claims that they’re not legally required to call a parent when they feel the need to Baker Act a child.

No need to notify a parent? What. The. Heck. Are school’s not required to obtain a parent’s permission for something as simple as watching a non-pg movie or to go on a field trip? Yet It’s somehow okay to traumatize an entire family by detaining their son for “bad behavior” without permission or prior acknowledgement?

What exactly is the Baker Act? I thought I’d look it up, because this really concerns me. The Baker Act is meant to provide individuals with emergency services and temporary detention for mental health evaluation and treatment on a voluntary or involuntary bases. For involuntary admissions, a parent or guardian age 18 or older can make an application for a minor for admission to a facility for observation, diagnosis, or treatment. A school is not a child’s “guardian.” I didn’t find a single instance in my research allowing for a school or “specialists” to put a student into involuntary detention.

What aspect of our law allows schools to do this? Doesn’t our constitution protect America’s citizens against involuntary detention? What about these parent’s rights? I am scared for a country that allows this. It. Is. Not. Okay.

Listen, I know that temper tantrums are difficult. I understand that an autistic child can be extremely difficult to control. I’ve seen this. I’ve been through this. Traumatizing a young child by taking them away from their parents and school and locking them in an institution is not okay. That is a violation of human rights. The child does not understand why this is happening and is not learning a lesson of any sort. I’m sure he was scared out of his mind. This was not a case of abuse, where the child needed to get away from his parents. He has a warm, loving home with parents who are doing their very best. If the school cannot handle the child’s special needs, they need to admit this and help place him in a capable school.

I wish the family the best of luck with their case and hope that this issue is seriously looked into. I can only imagine the emotions they are feeling and hope and pray that their son recovers from his traumatizing experience.

Cases like this remind me why we homeschool.

What do you think of this story? Do you think schools have the right to send children to mental institutions without consulting parents first?

For more information about the Worldwide Campaign to End the Institutionalization of Children, check out: http://www.disabilityrightsintl.org/learn-about-the-worldwide-campaign-to-end-the-institutionalization-of-children/

First-Grader Baker Acted After Fight At School (dreamindemon.com)

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