A school district in upstate New York has launched an internal investigation following allegations that elementary school students, including children with disabilities, may have been confined inside wooden “timeout” boxes on school premises.The Salmon River Central School District board of education confirmed last week that it is reviewing the actions of district officials after images of the boxes circulated on social media. The images were first shared by a former school board member, who alleged that the district had constructed the boxes to seclude students with disabilities. The district serves roughly 1,300 students and is located near the border between New York state and Canada.
Officials placed on leave as state inquiry opens
According to the school board, three officials, including an elementary school teacher, have been placed on leave. The district superintendent has been reassigned to home duties. The board also stated that it is cooperating with an investigation by the New York State Education Department.The superintendent acknowledged that three wooden crates had been installed at two elementary schools but said they had since been removed. He also stated that no student had ever been confined inside them. That account has been questioned by parents. At a community meeting several parents said they believed their children had been placed inside the boxes, the Albany-based Times Union reports.
Parents question official assurances
One parent of a minimally verbal child told the Times Union that his son described the space as somewhere children were sent to calm down, saying: “If you are happy or if you are sad, this is the place you have to go to calm down.”More than 60% of students in the Salmon River district are Native American. For some community members, the controversy has raised memories of the United States government’s residential boarding school system, which sought to assimilate Native American children and operated into the twentieth century. Nearly one thousand students are known to have died at those schools, The Guardian reports.Sarah Konwahahawi Herne, whose first-grade child attends one of the schools where a box was installed, told the Times Union that the history remains close to home. “Sixteen of my family members, at least, have gone to residential schools,” she said. “This is not history. This is contemporary times in our family.”
Governor calls allegations unacceptable
New York Governor Kathy Hochul described the allegations as “highly disturbing” in a statement issued on Saturday. “School should be a place where every child is safe, respected and supported,” Hochul said. She added that the claims were “alarming and entirely unacceptable” and called on the state’s education department to act quickly.
District issues apology as questions remain
In a public statement, the school board issued an apology to the community.“We recognize the pain, concern, and distress these events have caused, and we are truly sorry for the harm and trauma this has resulted for our community,” said Jason Brockway, president of the board of education. He said the allegations did not reflect the district’s stated standards of care.The outcome of the state and district investigations is expected to determine whether the episode reflects a failure of judgment by individuals or deeper gaps in oversight and safeguards for students with disabilities.
