A group of parents and students, in conjunction with the American Civil Liberties Union, is suing a Rhode Island Family Court Judge and his appointees, saying they violated the constitutional rights of public school children.

The suit claims that students' medical issues were all but ignored by the court, which used arrest warrants and the threat of "state custody" to intimidate students and parents.

"The alleged abuses occurred in five school districts -- Providence, North Providence, Woonsocket, Coventry and Cumberland -- where the truancy courts had jurisdiction over more than 700 students during each of the past two school years, according to the suit." [Source: The Providence Journal]

One of the plaintiffs, a 53-year-old mother whose daughter has ADHD and Tourette's Syndrome, claims that the court repeatedly threatened to remove her daughter from the home if she continued to miss school.

The mother tried to explain that she only pulled her child if a change in her medication made her extremely disruptive in class, but the court refused to take that into consideration. A hearing date has yet to be set for the case.

Labels: schools, laws

Posted By: Aspen/CRC