What Would You Demand? Schoolss for the Mentally disabled need these changes
January 25, 2008
Tom Craddick got the point. He has called for a special committee to examine care at the state's 13 schools for the mentally disabled. This newspaper reported last year on stunning abuse at some of those schools, and House Democrats and the Justice Department have done their own investigations.
Written by mentally ill, craddick, texas legislature, schools, education, The Dallas Morning News
If the committee delivers, maybe mental health issues will get the priority they deserve in the 2009 Legislature. (photo courtesy www.minedu.govt.nz)
Tom Craddick got the point. He has called for a special committee to examine care at the state's 13 schools for the mentally disabled. This newspaper reported last year on stunning abuse at some of those schools, and House Democrats and the Justice Department have done their own investigations.
Patient deaths, poor care and staff turnover plague these schools, which Texas operates for residents whose families can't care for them. Here are some needed changes:
•Find ways to retain qualified staffers who work directly with patients. The Corpus Christi school loses a third of its direct care workers annually. How can a resident expect consistent care when caseworkers are here today, gone tomorrow? Better pay would help; some start at around $20,000.
•Provide better training to deal with the complexities of mental illness. The Corpus school's interim chief told legislators that staffers could get work with an eighth-grade education and no experience. That's not who we'd want in charge of our loved ones.
•Ensure that Family Protective Services investigators have ample freedom to inspect schools and present their findings in open hearings. Without more transparency, families won't get the full story.
If the committee delivers, maybe mental health issues will get the priority they deserve in the 2009 Legislature.
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