Carol Sadler's Letter to the Editor of the Ledger-Enquirer
February 2, 2004

Re: Assistant principal paddled 6-year-old, http://www.ledger-enquirer.com/mld/ledgerenquirer/news/7820802.htm or http://nospank.net/n-l39r.htm

Dear Editor,

In response to the article above, I would like to know when the State of GA is going to ban the inhuman act of corporal punishment on all our children in our school systems, especially our disabled children with mental health issues. AD/HD is a real neurobiological brain disorder causing inattention, impulsivity, distractibility, hyperactivity and therefore causes children to act out in inappropriate manners as was described in your article. Children should NEVER be punished in this manner by behaviors manifested by their disabilities. This school should have implemented "positive", not punitive behavior interventions. As a society, do we paddle children with physical disabilities because they can't walk and are in wheel chairs? When are we going to stop the cruelty to children with "hidden" disabilities such as AD/HD? I would be very interested to work with this family for free to determine if this school was providing appropriate services afforded this child under IDEA (special education) and/or Section 504. I would be willing to bet not.

Parents who have children with disabilities such as AD/HD need to write to their schools and revoke permission to paddle their children. We must work with schools to find positive ways to address these children's inappropriate behaviors. For more information on AD/HD, parents can go the CHADD website at www.CHADD.org .

Please forward my contact information and offer to the parents of this child with AD/HD.

Thank you,

Carol Sadler
Special Education Consultant/Advocate
Atlanta, GA
sadlerpc@prodigy.net
www.IEPadvocate4You.com
Moderator: GA Children's Network
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/GA-ChildrensNetwork/


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