"Lexington schools deny locking child in ‘closet’; Lexington rebuts father’s article" by Travis Andersen |
Globe Staff, September 11, 2012
A father’s account, published over the weekend, of how his daughter
was repeatedly locked in a “closet” as a Lexington kindergartner in 2006
prompted a rebuttal Monday from the town’s school superintendent,
leaving conflicting accounts of exactly what happened to her six years
ago.
Bill Lichtenstein, 55, of Newton, said Monday that his daughter Rose,
who is now 12, continues to suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder
as a result of the treatment she received while enrolled at the Fiske
Elementary School. His account first appeared Sunday in an op-ed article in The New York Times.
“The biggest challenge for Rose, and for me as her father, is that
it’s hard to tell Rose that the world is not a place where big people
can put their hands on little people and hurt them and drag them off,”
Lichtenstein said Monday in a phone interview. “Because that’s not her
experience.”
But on Monday night, Superintendent Paul B. Ash defended the Fiske
employees who were working with Rose, a child with speech and cognitive
disabilities. He said none of the staff members did anything that
warranted a sanction....
Lichtenstein and his former wife reached a $125,000 settlement with
the school district in 2008, and the district also agreed to pay for
education and treatment costs for their daughter....
--more--"
Also see: Lexington schools chief asks for state review of time-out rooms
Times says op-ed on Lexington schools had inaccuracies
Lexington reeling over parent’s timeout op-ed
Also see: Lexington residents get party started for 300th anniversary
Lexington schools sue PCB makers in federal court
