A mother from Boston claims her 3-year-old son was restrained in his classroom at James F. Condon K-8 School. A teacher allegedly put restraints on Anacelia Cuevas’ son and then used duct tape to confine him to his chair. Cuevas is distraught and doesn’t think that any child should be treated like an “animal.”
The horrified mother spoke to WBZ-TV about her frustrations with the school, and the station did some digging. It found that 64 students were restrained in Boston schools last year. Some say that is too many.
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The mother found out about the alleged incident after the fact.
Cuevas told WBZ-TV that another teacher allegedly saw her son restrained on February 14 and reported the incident. She claims she didn’t find out about it until recently.
“Why? You are a certified special needs teacher. You should be able to handle this,” Cuevas said. “And why was I not notified by the principal, the teachers, no one? I had to hear it two weeks later from DCF. Imagine my surprise.”
The child was allegedly restrained for disciplinary purposes.
“The report indicated that basically my son was put there because he was in trouble,” Cuevas said.
Cuevas didn't want to stay quiet.
In addition to speaking with the news station, she shared a message via her sister Yadira on Facebook. In the post, she alleges her child was taped to the chair for more than an hour, and no one told her. She blames the school for not speaking up.
“It is deeply concerning to me that such inappropriate and potentially harmful practices are being used on young children within our Boston Public school system. Parents entrust schools with the care and education of their children, and incidents like these betray that trust and jeopardize the safety and well-being of our most vulnerable students,” she wrote in the post.
She fears other children face the same treatment.
The mother wants a thorough investigation into the incident and is pleading with parents to get involved.
“I urge the school administration, as well as local authorities, to conduct a thorough investigation into this incident and to take swift and decisive action to hold those responsible accountable. Additionally, it is crucial that the school implement measures to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future, including comprehensive training for staff on appropriate behavior management techniques and protocols,” she added in her Facebook post.
“The system failed my son. My son is not an animal, my son is not a criminal. He’s just a baby,” Cuevas told WBZ-TV.
The school released a statement.
The teachers involved in the incident were placed on administrative leave, according to WBZ-TV.
Boston Public Schools Superintendent Mary Skipper shared in a statement, per WBZ-TV: “This incident is deeply concerning and goes against our values and policies as a school district. We understand how difficult this has been for both our student and their family and we will continue to work directly with them to provide all the support they need to feel safe and continue learning at BPS.”
Cuevas told the station she removed her son from the school and plans to sue.
“I am going to get justice for my son,” she said. “This may have happened to my son but it stops here. They don’t understand the trauma they’re causing. Not just to the child but families.”
Dozens of children were reportedly restrained in Boston schools in 2023.
WBZ-TV examined data from the Department of Early and Secondary Education and found that 64 students were restrained in five schools in 2023.
“The problem is physical restraint is dramatically overused,” Rick Glassman, director of advocacy for the Disability Law Center, told the news outlet.
He added that medical restraints that restrict movement should never be used and that parents always need to be informed about what is happening at school.
“There’s supposed to be a reasonable effort to inform them within 24 hours and then in any event in writing by three school working days,” Glassman said.
