NY State's New Temporary Regs Allow Electric Shock

But public hearings in August will likely help decide the long term role of "aversive interventions" for New York State students placed at the Judge Rotenburg Center.

The Rotenburg Center in Canton, Massachusetts, uses electric shock (along with a complicated system of other rewards and punishments) to condition students. Suite101 began following this story with a feature in May and I discussed my opinion of the situation in a blog that month.

The State of New York will have three public hearings in August on the new regulations. The first will be on August 8th in Albany, in the Administrative Board Room of the Capital Region BOCES at 3pm. There will be hearings in New York City on August 14th (at the Adam Clayton Powell Jr. State Office Building at 2pm) and in Syracuse on August 15th (at Dr. King Elementary School starting at 3pm). Comments can also be sent to the State's Office of Vocational and Educational Services for Individuals with Disabilities in Albany until August 28. You can email your comments (put "Comments: Behavioral Intervention Regulations" in your email's subject line).

One of the best explanations of the new temporary regulations is available from Wrightslaw.

The actual regulations are also available online.