http://www.boston.com/news/education/k_12/articles/2011/02/28/school_lobbied_to_stop_electric_shock_ban/?page=2School lobbied to stop electric shock ban
Canton facility spent $100,000 on effort
The Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, a special-needs school in Canton that disciplines students with electric shocks, used a sophisticated lobbying campaign in Congress last year to help defeat a ban of its controversial techniques, according to recently released public documents.
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Critics say the electric shocks — which are the subject of ongoing state and federal investigations — are inhumane. But school officials and parents say they are necessary, a last resort to prevent severely disabled children and teens from harming themselves or others.
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Aides to Senator John F. Kerry of Massachusetts said parents and students visited his office and asked that he not support the bill, but he was waiting to learn more about the legislation before taking a position on a new law. Kerry is opposed to using electric shocks for punishment.
“This is an inhumane form of discipline, and I’m particularly troubled by it when positive behavioral supports have been so successful,’’ Kerry said in a statement. “I understand that there are ongoing state and federal investigations, and I hope they result in an end to this archaic practice.’’
A spokeswoman for Senator Scott Brown of Massachusetts declined to say if he was lobbied by the center or what he thinks about the legislation or shock discipline.