Photos of a structure resembling a shipping container with four wooden exterior panels and a padded interior appeared on Facebook on Dec. 15. But what, or rather who, was in the containers continues to spark outrage due to claims that special needs children were placed in them during time-out sessions.
The photos, posted by a former school board member, were from the St. Regis Mohawk School in the Salmon River Center School District, in the upstate New York community of Akwesasne near the Canadian border, prompting a state investigation that led to school staff being placed on leave and the superintendent's temporary reassignment.
"We recognize the pain, concern, and distress these events have caused, andwe are truly sorry for the harm and traumathis has resulted for our community," Jason Brockway, the board's president, said in a Dec. 18 statement. "We want to be clear: the circumstances surrounding these allegations do not reflect the values and standards of care that guide this district."
Chrissy Onientatahse Jacobs, who posted images, says it's not enough.
"I want to see (Superintendent) Stanley Harper terminated. I want to see the Assistant Superintendent Angela Robert terminated. The special education director, Alan Gravel, I want him terminated," Jacobs told USA TODAY in an interview.
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District officials' story changes
"At no time was the item depicted in the photographs used by any student at the mohawk (sic) school," the District wrote in aDec. 15 Facebook post."In fact, prior to the circulation of these photographs, the District had already determined that it would not utilize the specific device shown."
However,the Albany Times Unionreported that at a boisterous school board meeting on Dec. 17, multiple parents alleged that their children had been placed in a box. Television station WNNY reported that a parent, who they did not name, alleged that the box was usedon his nonverbal special needs son.
"He explained to us that if you are angry, or if you are sad, this is where you go when it's time to calm down," the station quoted the parent as saying.
In a portion of astream of the meeting, broadcast by an attendeeand reviewed by USA TODAY, Harper revealed that three boxes were present in two schools in the district, and that he knew about their presence weeks before Jacob's post.
"I found out about three weeks ago," Harper said. "When I saw it, I said,' Remove it." An attendee is heard on the stream saying "termination now" shortly after the comments.
The district said it launched an independent investigation through an unnamed law firm. ADec. 24 statementprovided to USA TODAY from the district says that the Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES is leading the investigation.
Harper was assigned to "home duties," and St. Regis Mohawk School Principal Alison Benedict and elementary school teacher Karrie Haverstock were put on administrative leave pending the results of the investigation.
'Time out boxes' resurface previous trauma
Jacobs said that the revelation of the boxes brought back memories of previous abusesin residential schools.
The Salmon River Central School District is61% Native American, according to data from the New York State Education Department. However, Jacobs told USA TODAY that the percentage is higher, but families do not identify that way for fear of mistreatment.
"My grandparents went to school there, when it was built to be an Indian Day School, and my grandparents were locked in cages and boxes in the basement of that school in the 30s and 40s," Jacobs said. "My father went in the 60s; he was abused. I went there in the 90s, and I was abused. Now our kids are there, and they're building boxes.
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The Saint Regis Mohawk Tribal Council said that "trust has been broken" in a statement toThe New York Times. "It is clear what transpired should have never happened, and our children deserve better from those in charge of their care."
"This is living history in our family at the dinner table for generations, still dealing with the systematic abuse, and now in 2025 it's being defended as support and education," Jacobs said.
The Times Union reported that a mother alleged during the meeting that the district made her agree to use the time-out box on her child for them to continue his education.
"This is where it gets really disheartening, we're a very impoverished school district," Jacobs said. "When you think about telling a parent: 'You need to sign this or your child gets kicked out,' what you're really telling them is agree, even though you don't agree with it and it doesn't feel right, because you're going to lose your job, and then you're going to lose your house, and then you're going to starve and you're going to lose your children."
State responds
The use of "restraint and seclusion" is banned by New York state regulations, according toa letter from the Office of Special Educationsent to Harper ordering the removal of the boxes obtained by USA TODAY.
"The situation at Salmon River falls short of that standard, and the Department is committed to working with the school community to bring the district into full compliance with all applicable seclusion laws and regulations," the department said in a statement to USA TODAY.
The Times Union reported that state regulations allow educators to confine students alone in a time-out if in unlocked spaces, where they can be watched and "move about and recline comfortably." It adds that the state updated the regulations in 2023, following the paper's investigation into disciplinary practices across New York.
A second grader and a high schooler in the Salmon River School District had been physically restrained or placed in time-out, The Times Union added, but noted: "Due to the small number of incidents, the state suppressed further details on these cases."
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul called the allegations "alarming and entirely unacceptable" in a statement. "As a mom, I know firsthand the trust parents place in our schools, and the teachers and administrators who work with our children," Hochul said. "School should be a place where every child is safe, respected and supported."
The district announced the appointment of Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES District Superintendent Dale Breault as acting superintendent during a Dec. 23 special meeting.
USA TODAY has reached out to the district and Harper for further comment.
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Special needs students put in 'time out box'