CALIFORNIA IN BRIEF : SACRAMENTO : Suit Targets Use of Force on Children

A lawsuit aimed at stopping the use of force to control disabled children in special education programs was filed in U.S. District court in the state capital. The action, naming state Supt. of Public Instruction Bill Honig, the Department of Education and others, also seeks to bar the segregation of handicapped children and seeks $2 million in damages. The Disability Rights Education and Defense Fund said educators have been slow to respond to complaints about “behavior modification techniques,” including such practices as forcing a child who wets him or herself to remain in soiled clothing, force-feeding a disabled toddler until the child gags and chokes and kicking a blind child who cannot follow instructions.