Fort
Myers - It's an Eye on Education Exclusive investigation.
WINK News received several tips
from parents about time-out rooms at Lee County Schools.
We found out they're also
called Quiet Rooms or Learning Labs", but to parents we spoke
with they're jail cells used to torture children.
Our four month investigation
uncovered a total of 14 time-out rooms in elementary schools
throughout the district.
Kellie Elders tells us she
witnessed teachers sitting on her autistic daughter 7 year
old Caitlin's back while she was being restrained on the
floor of a time out room at Pelican Elementary School.
She says Caitlin was sent to
the room multiple times a week and her child isn't the only one.
The district would not comment
on these specific allegations, however we have been told
teachers are specially trained to restrain children and help
them calm down.
Lee County School District
Spokesperson Joe Donzelli says, "It's an area where we can
isolate them from others because we don't want them to hurt
themselves or the staff or other students."
Parent Kellie Elders says, "No
child should ever have to go through this."
WINK News found out there isn't
a district policy on the use of rooms, instead it's up to the
principals.
We asked to see if the
principals had a written policy or procedures of using the room,
we were told there isn't one.
According to the Lee County
School District these schools have Time-Out Rooms:
Colonial
Franklin Park
Harns Marsh
Pelican
Ray V. Pottorf
Rayma C. Page
Trafalgar
Michigan Academy
Mirror Lakes
North Fort Myers Academy for the Arts
Gulf
Veterans Park Academy
J. Colin English
Pinewoods
