School in the US wins appeal to use electric shock devices on pupils

A school in the US has won a court battle allowing it to use electric shock devices on students.

The country’s Food and Drug Administration (FDA) had previously banned the use of electric shock devices last year.

But a 2-1 ruling by the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit has seen the ban overturned.

The decision was handed down after the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center, Canton, which has around 300 pupils, challenged the regulation.

After the ruling, the school said in a statement: “With the treatment, these residents can continue to participate in enriching experiences, enjoy visits with their families and, most importantly, live in safety and freedom from self-injurious and aggressive behaviors.”

An association of parents also said in a statement: “We have and will continue to fight to keep our loved ones safe and alive and to retain access to this life saving treatment of last resort.”

It is the only school in the US which uses an electric shock device to stop “self-injurious and aggressive behaviours”.

The centre — which works with those with developmental disabilities, emotional disorders, and autistic-like behaviours — has faced wide-spread criticism for using the shock devices.

Disability advocates have since blasted the court’s decision to overturn the ban.

“This ruling opens the door for continued torture of largely Black and brown disabled people in the name of treatment,” said Lydia Brown, director of policy, advocacy, and external affairs for the Autistic Women and Nonbinary Network.

“The FDA must reissue a ban on all devices used to inflict painful electric shock on others.”

Shain Neumeier, an attorney who has represented former center residents, said: “State legislators need to end funding, if the court system is unwilling to put an end to this barbaric practice.”