This petition is to focus on legislative change for ALL schools in Alabama. You can join the growing Facebook group : https://www.facebook.com/groups/2906369332968556/?ref=share

  As a parent of a special needs child I started to substitute in our district where my child attends school. I have learned much working with local agency’s that assist special needs children and have a passion to help others. I worked in our local school district and witnessed a child being locked in a closet that they refer to as a sensory room for disciplinary reasons or if they teacher / aide was tired of dealing with them. This happened in more than one class. I went home and cried because my child was in this school and thinking how traumatized the children must be as I listened to them beat on the door and cry asking to be let out while the adult held the door closed. My son is Autistic and non verbal he cannot tell me what happens to him at the school and the school doesn’t notify when these rooms are being used. This goes all the way down to preschool for special needs children where they will put a child in a Rifton chair so they can’t run around the room and they are restrained so they are easier to manage. Parents don’t know how these items are being used and for how long because they aren’t allowed in the classroom or have to schedule a walkthrough when the district alerts teachers of parents coming. 

This particular school district has had many cases about this type of abuse and it hasn’t stopped yet. When anyone reports it teacher , aides or substitutes they are fired from working for the district. 

Parents and advocates in several states have encouraged legislation requiring the use of cameras in special ed classrooms. If children are unable to report abuse because of a disability, the recordings can assist in investigations of suspected maltreatment. This will also protect teachers, aides and substitutes from being accused of maltreatment. My grandmother is a retired special education teacher. This provides protection for everyone in special education from students , teachers , aides , substitutes and administrators.  

So far, Texas, Georgia and West Virginia have enacted legislation that either requires or allows the use of cameras.