Police investigatived after claims that staff hit, sat on and force-fed children as young as 5. Photo / 123rf
Police investigatived after claims that staff hit, sat on and force-fed children as young as 5. Photo / 123rf
Police say the use of a seclusion room by a Dunedin special needs school was appropriate, and not criminal behaviour.
No charges have been laid after a three-month police investigation of two suspects at Sara Cohen special needs school, Radio NZ reports.
The inquiry began after claims that staff hit,sat on and force-fed children as young as 5.
RNZ is reporting that an autistic boy told police a staff member twisted his arm 25 times and locked him in a dark room.
The police report, obtained under the Official Information Act, says that after interviewing the boy, two suspects and seven other staff, there was too much conflicting evidence to prosecute anyone.
Most of the allegations involved one person's word against another, police concluded, so there was no reasonable prospect of a conviction.
The police investigator said the use of a seclusion room was not criminal.
"It is appropriate to expect the staff to use a place for timeout for the students especially when you consider the extreme and violent behaviours being experienced on a regular basis. I do not believe that this type of practice is criminal behaviour."
Seclusion rooms are being outlawed by the government after revelations since October about their use at several schools, which has triggered an Ombudsman's inquiry.
