Yahoo Movies The Idaho Way: Kids restrained and secluded in school without statewide standards
By Scott McIntosh, opinion editor
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The stories are heartbreaking and frightening.
Young students being locked in a room, alone, sometimes for hours.
A child with Down syndrome coming home with bruises after being restrained at school. Another child with bruises and scratches.
One parent reported her son was secluded on a daily basis.
The stories are from parents who say their children were either restrained or secluded while at school.
This practice at school should be rare and used as a last resort, as outlined by federal guidelines.
Unfortunately, just based on anecdotes uncovered by Idaho Statesman reporter Becca Savransky, restraint and seclusion are being used too quickly, too routinely and too often as a method of discipline in Idaho.
The state of Idaho tried to address this issue more than 10 years ago and came close to issuing statewide rules governing the practice of the use of restraint and seclusion. But the rules died at the last minute.
The state Department of Education and the State Board of Education should take up the issue once again, before tragedy strikes.
Read our full editorial here on what those rules should say.
Harm is already being done
Read Idaho Statesman reporter Becca Savransky’s full in-depth investigative report here.
Big bucks in construction
It’s a seller’s market if you’re looking for a job in construction.
The construction industry will need to attract nearly 650,000 additional workers on top of the normal pace of hiring in 2022 to meet the demand for labor, according to Associated Builders and Contractors.
This is part of a nationwide labor shortage that I’ve written about before.
The labor shortage is caused by continued strong job growth, Baby Boomers retiring, younger workers not replacing them, declining labor participation, many women not returning to the workforce, declining immigration and lower birth rates. The United States has nearly 11 million job openings and only about 6 million available workers, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.
Idaho has about 400 construction management job openings every year, according to the Idaho Department of Labor, with a total of 1,420 total jobs. That’s expected to grow 35% over the next eight years. Starting pay for an entry-level worker is $48,329, but the typical annual salary is $85,286 and can go as high as $126,079 for an experienced construction manager, according to the Idaho Department of Labor.
That jibes with what I saw at a recent construction management career fair, which had 83 companies looking for interns and workers, and more than 300 students looking for a match.
Read my full column here on what I found out.
Defending a rapist
By Bryan Clark, Idaho Statesman opinion writer
The far right in Idaho has made protecting children the excuse to pursue a variety of policies it wants for other reasons — banning books, jailing librarians, defunding public schools, interfering with doctors, intervening in high school sports regulations, shutting down sex education and so on. But as the far right has made protecting children its central theme, prominent members have been building a track record of defending rapists. The latest example happened at the sentencing of former Rep. Aaron von Ehlinger, for raping a 19-year-old legislative intern.
Forgiveness is the right of the victim and no one else. If I punch Jim in the face, it doesn’t make sense for Robert to forgive me. It’s up to Jim whether I’m forgiven.
Similarly, it is not up to Mike Kingsley or Vito Barbieri to forgive von Ehlinger. The only person who can forgive von Ehlinger is the woman he raped.
Second, forgiveness requires repentance.
Read Bryan Clark’s full column here.
‘Theocratic tyranny’
As Idaho faith leaders, dedicated to compassion, equity and justice for all people, we strongly condemn Idaho’s abortion ban, decimating individual freedoms over one’s own body and health care rights.
Denying someone the right to exercise their divinely given moral agency and bodily autonomy and to make decisions about their family and future is a violation of both human rights and religious freedom.
Lawmakers using religion to justify removal of rights to access health care of any kind, constitutes theocratic tyranny. No government committed to human rights and democracy can privilege the teachings of one religion over another.
Read the full guest opinion from several Idaho faith leaders here.
Campaign donor speaks up
Larry Williams, who donated to the campaigns of the opponents of Idaho Sens. Jeff Agenbroad, Carl Crabtree and Jim Woodward, who all lost primary challenges, explains his support for charter schools and his satisfaction with breaking up “the cabal” that he says opposed his proposal to fund charter school buildings.
“Perhaps career politicians should listen to parents and voters, not bankers and special interest groups if they want to retain their prestigious Senate seats and committee appointments,” Williams writes.
Read his full guest opinion piece here.
Compared with Iran, American women don’t have it so bad
“It’s easy to take things for granted in America, especially those that are so fundamental they’re invisible,” wrote guest columnist Nicole Russell. “Take freedom. It’s a sweeping word and it means something different to everyone. The freedom to work 80 hours a week? To worship God or no god? In America, we enjoy First Amendment freedoms that are virtually unprecedented elsewhere, and with them, a bunch of trickle-down freedoms that make life sweeter.
“This isn’t the case everywhere in the world, and Iran is Exhibit A. Iran is still held captive by Sharia law — rooted in the ancient Islamic legal system — which is demanding and particularly oppressive to women, who have few independent rights of their own.”
I’m listening
Send me your story ideas, news tips, questions, comments, or anything else on your mind. You can reach me via email at smcintosh@idahostatesman.com.
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What you’re saying
This week, we received letters to the editor on new Idaho education report card from the Heritage Foundation, what so-called “conservatives” believe in and support for Stan Ridgeway for Ada County Commission. You can read these and more letters by clicking here.
You can submit a letter to the editor or guest opinion by clicking here.
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