RACINE - A Racine mother will meet Friday with Racine Unified School District officials about the restraints teachers used on her 3-year-old son who has autism.

Hasmig Tempesta removed her son, Zachary, from Red Apple Elementary School's early childhood program after she learned that his special education teachers had been restraining him in a chair with belts without her knowledge or consent.

"The problem now is (the district) won't admit they did anything wrong," Tempesta said. "They say that their teachers acted appropriately."

This is the second year Tempesta's son has been in the program, which he attends for three hours a day, three days a week.

Tempesta only learned about the school's use of restraints when her son's in-home therapist observed Zachary at school.

Last Friday, the therapist asked Tempesta if she'd approved of Zachary being strapped into a Rifton Toddler Chair, which Tempesta said she never did.

School districts use the chairs for students with disabilities who have trouble sitting upright because they lack muscle control.

It was the first Tempesta had ever heard of her son being strapped into the chair, she said.

Teachers at the school used belts to restrain her son for up to 50 minutes a day, Tempesta said.

The state's Department of Public Instruction warns against using restraints except when a student safety is a concern.

"The only way a chair like that can be used is if it's included in the child's IEP (Individualized Education Program) and that the parent has been notified of that possibility," said Patrick Gasper, DPI spokesman. "We became aware of the situation in Racine and we contacted the district and reminded them of the state's guidelines."

Kathy Strasser, a Unified special education supervisor, said the school district will meet with Tempesta about her concerns.

Strasser could not say whether the school's teacher were wrong for using restraints because she was not a member of Zachary's IEP team.

In addition, she did not know whether school staff properly notified Tempesta about using restraints with her son.

Strasser said the district is trying to work with Tempesta on how to best meet her son's needs in the classroom.

"Whenever a parent raises a concern that needs to be addressed through a formal IEP team meeting, we immediately respond," Strasser said.

An IEP team, which is made of school district staff and a child's parents work out a plan to meet a student's needs in the classroom. The district can provide additional accommodations after meeting with a parent, Strasser said.

Zachary's IEP required him to have a one-on-one assistant, but his mother said the district continually told her there was not enough money to provide one.

Tempesta said she noticed changes in her son's behavior, which included throwing tantrums, but thought it was another developmental step. She said Zachary has withdrawn from her, which has been difficult. Now she feels guilty for not paying closer attention to the changes and believes they're a result of the restraints used on her son.

Emily Levine, executive director of the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin, said restraints are not what she would expect to see a young child sitting in for an hour. Tempesta's story concerned Levine, who said she did not know about the specifics of the case.

"I would think the district and the family would always be looking for ways to support the child in less humiliating ways," Levine said. "You want to help the child be as functional and independent as possible. You want to make sure that their dignity is preserved so that they want to go to school."

Restraints also are a risky form of intervention, Levine said.

"Unfortunately, without proper training, restraints can be fatal if improperly administered," Levine said. "Which shows that there needs to be more effort upfront. There needs to be adequate support in place for the teacher and the student."

The growth in populations of children with autism is frightening and school districts struggle to meet the needs of such students, Levine said.

"Every school district is getting hit by budget cuts and more demands from the federal government," Levine said. "The two things are really making it hard for teachers to find the flexibility to meet the needs of all learners."

Use of physical restraints in school districts is controversial because of the risk of misunderstanding the use of this type of intervention, according to the DPI. The agency recommends schools only use restraints as a last resort in cases of danger to the student and/or other.

Zachary Tempesta's IEP indicated the boy's tendency to wander off and it recommended that he be closely supervised at all times.

Tempesta said she hopes to resolve the issue with the school district, but plans to file a formal complaint with the DPI.

"There is definitely a problem. There is a shortage of teachers. There are a lot of children with severe disabilities in one classroom and not enough staff," Tempesta said. "I hope that (Unified officials will) finally take this seriously and since this has been brought to the forefront they will realize they need to stop feeding parents a line."