The District of Columbia may head to court to cut off funds for a Massachusetts shock-therapy school, Mayor Adrian Fenty’s top adviser told The Examiner on Wednesday.
Peter Nickles, D.C.’s next acting attorney general and the leading member of Fenty’s kitchen cabinet, has already promised to transfer 10 District children out of the Judge Rotenberg Center by March.
But lawyers at Brown & Associates, who represent parents of nine of the 10 children, have balked at the suggestion. They’ve told city officials not to have any more contact with their clients, according to one source close to ongoing negotiations.
In an exclusive interview with The Examiner, Nickles said he was unfazed by the resistance. He said he would reach out to Brown & Associates to try to work out a deal, but quickly added he had no reservations about getting a court order to cut off funding to Rotenberg.
“I’m serious about this,” Nickles told The Examiner. “This is not a place for our kids.”
Rotenberg is the only school in the country authorized to use electric shocks and other “aversive” therapy on its wards. The Examiner was the first to report earlier this month that the school was under a criminal investigation after a prankster ordered Rotenberg staff to hook up three wards to electric shock machines in the middle of the night. Two students were shocked at least 77 times.
Rotenberg officials have said they offer the last, best hope for desperate families. They say the “aversive” therapy, which they claim causes no more pain than a “bee sting,” is more effective on mentally ill children than psychotropic drugs.
The clinic’s response has apparently been persuasive: Despite concerns over the prank, Massachusetts officials last week agreed to extend Rotenberg’s license.
Nickles said he has hired a team of consultants to trek up to Rotenberg next month for a follow-up inspection.
But he acknowledged that the goal of the tour is to gather evidence that will persuade parents to concede to transfers.
“I want to be sure that we can tell the parents that, ‘Well, we’ve looked at it a month and a half ago and we looked at it a week ago, and this is our assessment and our judgment,’ ”
Nickles said. “We think the choice is pretty clear.”
Domiento C. Hill, Brown & Associates’ leading special education lawyer, didn’t respond to requests for comment.
Judge Rotenberg Center
» Ten D.C. children in residence
» $227,000 per child, per year
» Named for judge who authorized use of electric shocks
Got a tip on special ed? Call Bill Myers at 202-459-4956 or e-mail [email protected].
