Further Reflections on the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre

Two days have passed since I first posted my thoughts about the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre.  I am becoming increasingly concerned that the news media and others investigating this disaster have not indicated that they will investigate whether there may be a connection between the manner in which the Newtown School District addressed Adam Lanza's special needs arising out of ASD and comorbid disorders, and the 20 year-old former student's horrific acts.

 

While official investigators do not appear to be acknowledging that this may be an elephant in the room, many parents, like Liza Long ("I am Adam Lanza's Mother"), are not only aware of it, but are on the verge of being crushed by it.  Even in the small state of Iowa, since Sunday, even I have received several calls from parents of children diagnosed with ASD and one or more co-morbid psychiatric disorder, who are expressing fears that their children may be demonstrating potential for violence.

Each of these parents began by saying that while they have been worried about their children's risk of suicide, since Sandy Hook, they have become worried that if someday their children were to have access to guns or explosives, they might strike back at the school system in which they have been miserable . . . failing . . . isolated . . . bullied . . . physically/emotionally uncomfortable . . . etc.  All of the parents indicated that they believe the inability of their public school districts to adequately understand and address their children's needs is driving increases in their children's levels of self injury, withdrawal and isolation, and verbal and physical aggression. 

In response to my questions, all of the parents indicated that their children are receiving private medical services and other outpatient treatment, and that some are covered by Iowa's Children's Mental Health Waiver, while others are on the waiting list for the waiver.  Despite their descriptions of some rather specatcular records of truancy, suspensions, physical and verbal aggression, property damage and academic failure, according to the parents, not one of their children's IEP teams have ever mentioned the possibility that in connection with the school's duty under state and federal law to provide a continuum of placements, the school might provide the child with placement in a school with intensive therapeutic services.

While it is unreasonable to consider children diagnosed ASD as potential mass murderers, those investigating the perfect storm that produced the Sandy Hook massacre cannot ignore the research has demonstrated that some individuals diagnosed with ASD and significant levels of co-morbid psychiatric and/or central nervous system disorders, are at risk for high levels of abberant behaviors. 

On the basis of all of the above, I would like to reiterate that while it may be difficult in the wake of the Sandy Hook disaster for investigators to probe the terribly wounded Newtown School District, no meaningful investigation into the factors that produced the massacre can avoid taking a good look at the manner in which, only a few short years ago, the Newton School District addressed Adam Lanza's special needs.

 

 

Reflections on the Sandy Hook Elementary School Massacre

During the past 48 hours of coverage of the Sandy Hook Elementary School massacre, several residents of Newtown, Connecticut have come forward to attest that the Newtown School District is a wonderful school district. Like many other public school districts, Newtown probably does provide a fine public education for many students. However, some of the "breaking news" indicates that this may not have been true in the case of its former student, Adam Lanza.

The developing facts of the school massacre are probably all too familiar to attorneys who, like me, represent parents of children with autism and other neurodevelopmental disabilities in special education matters.  About twice per year, in the course of representing parents in special education mediations, the facts compel me to tell the school district and area education agency involved, "This situation needs to change immediately – you’re incubating a school shooter."

Today I am thankful beyond words for the fact that on those occasions, the school districts involved have been represented by a prominent and insightful school attorney who is well-versed in both special education and special education law.  Each time she has recognized the risks involved, and has guided her clients to make the necessary changes.  As a result, while representing our clients zealously and with integrity, we have helped them solve problems before violence occurred or escalated. I should add here that I am thankful that many situations which hold potential for future violence are resolved through the work of insightful and highly skilled teachers. I count my own sister, who teaches in an out-of-state public school, among those bright stars.

There seems to be no doubt that Adam Lanza’s disabilities played a role in his violent acts. According to the networks, Tim Dalton, a neighbor and former classmate of Adam’s said, "Adam Lanza has been a weird kid since we were five years old." Adam’s paternal aunt, Marsha Lanza, explained that Adam had experienced school difficulties since middle school, and that his mother, Nancy, fought with the School District about his needs related to autism spectrum disorder until she gave up and pulled him out of high school in order to home school him.

While much of today’s media coverage seems to be focusing on the fact that Nancy Lanza apparently kept unsecured guns in her home, there’s more to this story than that lethal error of judgment. From my perspective, I am wondering what happened or didn’t happen in the course of Adam’s public school education that caused him to decide to massacre teachers and students in his home school district.  

While public figures are calling for "meaningful change" in order to prevent future school massacres, they seem to be limiting their discussion to issues involving access to guns and lack of access to mental health care.  I have heard no discussion of an investigation into how Adam’s experiences in the Newtown School District, which consumed nearly half of his waking hours, five days per week, 180 days per year, for more than ten years, may have laid a foundation for his violent retaliation against the school district on Friday.  Had the School District worked more effectively with Adam and his mother, might Friday's violence have been averted?

While it may be difficult for those who investigate the massacre to probe this terribly wounded school district in regard to its past conduct, any meaningful investigation into the factors that combined to produce this massacre cannot avoid considering that even in school districts located in nice communities, some school teachers and administrators can and do act in ways that contribute to the propensity of some children to harm themselves and others in terrible ways.