The Wisconsin Legislature Should Demand Greater Transparency Over a School District’s Proposed Seclusion Room

A school superintendent who refuses to talk to local media on the topic should face the scrutiny of Badger State lawmakers who must act to ban prone restraints in educational settings

HARTLAND, WI – The Waukesha Freeman reported on October 18th that a parent accused superintendent Tina Voglemann of Hartland-Lakeside (WI) School District of not being transparent about the district’s plans to build a seclusion room in their elementary schools.  The superintendent abruptly cut off an interview with a Waukesha Freeman reporter to discuss the issue on the record.  Americans for Autism Advocacy issues the following statement:

“Members of the Wisconsin Legislature along with the Hartland community demand answers and transparency from the Hartland-Lakeside School District Superintendent Tina Voglemann over the planned seclusion rooms in their elementary schools.  Ms. Voglemann’s refusal to properly inform the community of these controversial discipline methods towards neurodiverse students should anger both the entire Hartland community and the State of Wisconsin. The Hartland-Lakeside School District has a duty of transparency to inform community members on district policies relating to seclusion and restraint.  Hartland-Lakeside must come clean if they use prone restraints that have led to some neurodiverse students in the United States being seriously injured or even in some cases losing their lives.  Wisconsin lawmakers come January 2025 need to introduce legislation that will ban prone restraints for good in addition to the bans already enacted against chemical and mechanical restraints.”