A Critical Examination of State Agency Investigations into ...

that is absent from the Statement of Deficiencies concerns the Anderson School’sextreme use of planned ignoring constituted seclusion or the unauthorized use of timeout.In addition, surveyors suggested in internal documents that Jonathan may have beenneglected and/or abused, but there was no finding of either in the Statement ofDeficiencies.Internal Documentation of Preliminary FindingsFollowing the first site visit, one of the surveyors in an internal e-mail wrote thatthe survey team “virtually confirmed the allegation and began to uncover a number ofother systemic problems,” indicating inadequate protections for resident children. The e-mail noted problems with reporting injuries and abuse, understanding what constitutesabuse, and the lack of clear policies and procedures regarding restrictive techniques andfamily consent and involvement. The surveyor also reported that the team spoke with theAnderson School’s Director of Clinical Services about the Anderson School’s use ofplanned ignore. The Director of Clinical Services told surveyors that planned ignore wasused “quite readily and without time limits” and that planned ignore “is not only usedwith children, but is very successful with ‘dogs and adults.’ ” The surveyor’s findingsnoted that “planned ignoring may occur by placing kids in empty classrooms/bedroomfrom which they have no escape (staff hold the door closed)… they don’t seem to graspthe abuse aspect of this practice.”A week later, the surveyors reported their findings related to this visit in anothere-mail to OMRDD executives. The e-mail stated, “The Carey’s complaint is essentiallysubstantiated. Under the guise of ‘planned ignoring’ staff would isolate [Jonathan Carey]in his bedroom, prevent him from leaving, and not allow him to eat for extended periods124