Appeal results

We received notice of our appeal determination today.  Evidently the only people who can appeal the decision is the person found to have committed the abuse or neglect.  Our appeal was denied because we weren't the ones who had been accused of the abuse of neglect.  

So evidently, in the state of North Dakota, it is acceptable practice to lock a child with special needs in a room all by himself as a means of restraint or control.  

For some reason, I have a huge problem with that.
1.  the room was on the second floor, and by the school's own admission, our son was banging on the windows with a chair.  what would have happened if the window had broke out, and he had gone through the window?

2.  in the room there was a desk, in that desk our son found two pairs of scissors, and by the school's own admission, he threatened to use them. Granted the principal later qualified her statement and said that our son just wanted to cut some paper. But still, he had access to what could have been a dangerous weapon.  

3.  If our son had developed a medical emergency of some kind while locked in that room, would they have been able to get the room unlocked fast enough to save him? 

a moment of brilliance

Every once in a while, not often mind you, but once in a while I am struck with flashes of brilliance.

When I talked to the psychiatrist this morning, I complained about how people were requesting records for our son from the hospital. Interesting thing happened then. She pulled up our son's file and was able to tell me exactly when records were sent to the residential facility where he is currently placed. Interesting. So I have a call into her office to determine when records were sent to the elementary school. :)

One of the tenets upon which the neglect and abuse charge was determined the way it was related to how the school requested records from the psychiatrist and never received them. If those records were purged from his elementary school file as I suspect they were, they would have a record of them at least being sent to the school.

I will be filing an appeal, but the more ammunition I can provide in the documentation for the appeal the better. How bad would it be for the school to be caught in a lie where records were doctored?

decision regarding the abuse and neglect complaint

Somehow the abuse and neglect complaint was decided without talking any witnesses.  The decision is that no services were required, because no evidence was found to substantiate that claim.  I guess it is ok to lock a child with mental heal issues in a room with furniture and other things such as scissors which he could use to hurt himself or others.

we are going to appeal.  I can't see how this can be acceptable practice.