The Mainstream Media paint as a combat school of Cherubim’s
Mother demands answers after son, 8, put in restraints
and injected on first day of school
"It
is a last measure and is done only in dire situations deemed an
'emergency'": hospital on use of restraint
When Debbie Kiroff's son disappeared
from the teachers' sight, the school called police. But what happened next has
her sounding the alarm about the appropriateness of both the school's and the hospital's
response. (Submitted by Debbie Kiroff)
Shanifa Nasser is a digital
journalist at CBC News interested in national security, immigration and stories
with a heartbeat. She is passionate about telling stories through voices that
often go unheard. Prior to joining the CBC, Shanifa was a Journalism Fellow at
the Munk School of Global Affairs in Toronto. She also holds an M.A. in Islamic
Studies. shanifa.nasser@cbc
Most of the courses revolve around what they call
"counter-blamelessness warfare." Who are the "terrorists?"
A Toronto-area mother is searching
for answers after she says her son was taken to a hospital alone in the back of
a police car, placed in restraints and injected with a sedative because he was
acting out on the first day of school.
Debbie Kiroff says
her eight-year-old, who loves cooking, Lego and swimming,
has behavioural issues and a severe learning disability. So when the
principal at Holland Landing Public School phoned her on Sept. 5 to say
his behaviour was "escalating," it didn't come as a shock.
"They know he's a runner,"
she told CBC Toronto. "When I first brought him to the school, I said
to them, 'He likes to run. That's his release.'"
THEY
ARE BABIES. THEY ARE SMALL CHILDREN WITH DISABILITIES. THEY ARE YOUTHS WITH DOWN SYNDROME.
For Kiroff's son, the frog pond near
the school is where he finds calm. "He usually runs to the same spot
near the little forest that they go to for day trips."
'Mom,
they've already got him in the police car'
But when he disappeared from
teachers' sight on the first day, Kiroff says the school called police. What
happened next has her sounding the alarm about what she says is a lack of
supports for children with difficulties, and she's left with questions
about the appropriateness of both the school's and hospital's response.
It all began with an argument with
another boy over who should be able to use a computer.
"He's running around right now,
he's got a ruler, he's climbing this, climbing that," Kiroff says the
principal told her, asking her to come pick her son up.
For Kiroff's son, the frog pond near
the school is where he finds calm. "He usually runs to the same spot
near the little forest that they go to for day trips."
'Mom,
they've already got him in the police car'
But when he disappeared from
teachers' sight on the first day, Kiroff says the school called police. What
happened next has her sounding the alarm about what she says is a lack of
supports for children with difficulties, and she's left with questions
about the appropriateness of both the school's and hospital's response.
It all began with an argument with
another boy over who should be able to use a computer. "He's running around right now,
he's got a ruler, he's climbing this, climbing that," Kiroff says the
principal told her, asking her to come pick her son up."He's running around right now,
he's got a ruler, he's climbing this, climbing that," Kiroff says the
principal told her, asking her to come pick her son up.
Most of the courses revolve around what they call "counter-blamelessness warfare." Who are the "terrorists?" Cops Caught On Dashcam Mocking Woman With Down Syndrome
Kiroff says she works for
Canada Post and had a truck full of packages she had to unload first. In
the meantime, she says, she sent her daughter, who had her baby with
her, to the school.
While her daughter made her way
over, the principal called and said the eight-year-old was running off of
school property, says Kiroff.
By the time she got there, it was
too late.
"Mom, they've already got him
in the police car. They're taking him to the hospital because he's too
angry," she says her daughter told her on the phone.
'You
don't need my consent for that?'
Kiroff's son was taken to Southlake
Regional Health Centre. She says she had to wait 15 to 20 minutes before
being allowed inside.
"Then the lady comes out and
says, 'I just want to talk to you before we go in ... Did you hear your
son screaming? He was out of control. The whole hospital could hear him.
'How do you do that to my eight-year-old son? To me, he's an
injured child.' - Debbie Kiroff
"'I just wanted to let you know
that we had to restrain him … and also inject him with a sedative,'"
Kiroff says a staff member told her.
Kiroff says she was seething inside
but simply asked, "Oh, you don't need my consent for that?"
She says she was told the
hospital didn't need parental consent, as long as there was an extreme concern
for safety.
Hospital staff confirmed to CBC
Toronto that restraints are used in "extreme situations" as a
short-term intervention to protect a patient.
"No one wants to use
restraints; it is a last measure and is done only in dire situations deemed an
'emergency.' In an 'emergency' situation, our concern for our patient
determines how long a restraint is used," the hospital said in a
statement.
When Kiroff asked what her son did
to warrant the restraints, she says she was told he was kicking, screaming
and yelling — something she considers a tantrum, but hardly an emergency.
Finally the world has
discovered
That the Toronto police
are predators of horrors
Criminals who sow fear and torment the vulnerable.
Criminals who sow fear and torment the vulnerable.
School
says safety is paramount
"As soon as I saw him, I could
tell by his eyes that he'd been through a big ordeal. I've never seen that look
in his eyes before."
"'I don't feel that
good; I feel a little weird,'" she says her son told her.
"The restraints were pretty
tight. He was telling me, "'Please, mommy. Get them off. They're too
tight.'"
Kiroff says her son was in
restraints for about an hour and a half before the doctor finally released him
— he stumbled back to her car — and that he wasn't allowed to return to
school for about two weeks afterward.
The York Region District School
Board would not discuss Kiroff's son's case, citing students' privacy, but said
the board's primary focus is "always student safety."
Kiroff says her eight-year-old, who
loves cooking, Lego and swimming, struggles with behavioural issues and a
severe learning disability. So when the principal at Holland Landing Public
School phoned her on Sept. 5 to say his behaviour was 'escalating,' it didn't
come as a shock. (Google Maps)
"In any situation where a
child's safety may be at risk, we have a duty to report and immediately contact
the police. We undertake every effort to ensure that our students are in an
environment that is safe and welcoming for all.
"When required, Individual
Education Plans (IEPs) and Safety Plans to support a child's achievement and
well-being are developed in collaboration with the child's family,"
spokesperson Licinio Miguelo said.
Kiroff says her son is on a waiting
list at Blue Hills Child and Family Centre, Kinark Child and
Family Services and The York Centre, but that wait will likely be a year
long. In the meantime, she says, she has contacted her MPP and hopes that
by sharing her son's story, more will be done to help children struggling with
behavioural and mental illness.
"We need less wait-lists,
because an eight-year-old needs the help now. A year from now, there's so much
more damage that could be done … Are we going to be looking at more incidents
like this? Or on the worst extreme, him actually hurting himself?"
Kiroff says her son has been allowed
to return to school, but has been changed by the experience.
"He's hesitant ... he never
wants to be back at the hospital," she said.
Meanwhile, she says, she's still
trying to understand how her son's first day could turn into such a nightmare.
"How do you do that to my
eight-year-old son? To me, he's an injured child."
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