Inclusion Daily Express -- Texas Banned Restraint Boards Following Death At Mexia State School

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Texas Banned Restraint Boards Following Death At Mexia State School
By Dave Reynolds, Inclusion Daily Express
April 4, 2007

MEXIA, TEXAS--The Houston Chronicle reported Wednesday that the Texas Department of Aging and Disability Services put a halt to the use of six-point restraint boards in state-run institutions, following the death last winter of a 15-year-old resident of Mexia State School.

State officials reportedly have released few details about the teenager or the circumstances surrounding his death.

The ban on the "TransBoard" -- a flat board with straps for each arm, one across the chest, one across both legs and one for each ankle -- was ordered on January 15, the day the boy died.

Last week, DADS Commissioner Addie Horn told a state Senate panel investigating conditions at state-run facilities that house people with developmental disabilities that the teen died of "stress associated with combative behavior and the improper use of restraints."

According to the Chronicle, three MSS employees were fired last week, and the case has been referred to Limestone County officials for possible prosecution.

Related:
"Schools for retarded banned restraints after death" (Houston Chronicle)
http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/headline/metro/4686412.html
Photo of six-point restraint board (Houston Chronicle)
http://images.chron.com/content/news/photos/07/04/04/kid.jpg
"Mexia State School Violated Residents Rights" (Inclusion Daily Express Archives)
http://www.inclusiondaily.com/news/institutions/tx/mexia.htm

Copyright © 2007 Inonit Publishing
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