New York state is investigating claims that public schools were putting students with special needs in “time-out boxes” that resemble shipping containers.
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A photo of a structure resembling a shipping container with four wooden exterior panels and a padded interior was posted on Facebook on December 15th. But there has been outrage over what, or who, was inside the containers due to claims that special needs children were kept in them during time-out sessions.
The photo posted by the former school board member is of the St. Regis Mohawk School in the Salmon River Center School District in the upstate New York community of Akwesane near the Canadian border, which launched a state investigation that led to school staff being placed on administrative leave and the superintendent being temporarily reassigned.
“We recognize the pain, concern and distress these events have caused, and we sincerely apologize for the harm and trauma this has caused to our community,” board president Jason Brockway said in a Dec. 18 statement. “Let me be clear: The circumstances surrounding these allegations are not reflective of the values and standards of care that guide this district.”
Chrissy Onientas Jacobs, who posted the image, says that’s not enough.
“I want to see (Superintendent) Stanley Harper fired. I want to see Assistant Superintendent Angela Robert fired. I want to see Special Education Director Alan Gravel fired,” Jacobs said in an interview with USA TODAY.
District officials’ story changes.
“The items depicted in the photos used by Mohican (sic) School students never existed,” the district wrote in a Dec. 15 Facebook post. “In fact, before these photos were distributed, the district had already decided not to use the specific devices shown.”
However, the Albany Times Union reported that during a raucous school board meeting on Dec. 17, multiple parents claimed their children were put in boxes. Television station WNNY reported that an anonymous parent claims the box was used on his son, who is nonverbal.
The station quoted the child’s parents as saying, “He explained that this is a place to calm down when he is angry or sad.”
In a portion of the proceedings broadcast by attendees and reviewed by USA TODAY, Harper revealed that three boxes existed at two schools in the district and that he had known about their existence weeks before Jacob’s post.
“I found out about three weeks ago,” Harper said. “When I saw that, I said, ‘Get rid of it.'” Immediately after the comment, a participant can be heard saying, “End now,” on the stream.
The district announced that it had launched an independent investigation through an unnamed law firm. Franklin Essex Hamilton BOCES is leading the investigation, according to a Dec. 24 statement provided to USA TODAY by the district.
Harper was assigned “housework,” while St. Regis Mohawk Principal Alison Benedict and elementary school teacher Carrie Haverstock were placed on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation.
“Time Out Box” Resurfaces Past Trauma
Jacobs said the box revelation brought back memories of past abuse at boarding school.
The Salmon River Central School District is 61% Native American, according to data from the New York State Department of Education. But Jacobs told USA TODAY that the rate is much higher, but families don’t realize it that way for fear of abuse.
“My grandparents went to school there when it was built as the Indian Day School, and my grandparents were kept in cages and boxes in the basement of that school in the ’30s and ’40s,” Jacobs said. “My father went there in the ’60s and got abused. I went there in the ’90s and got abused. Now our kids are there and making boxes.
“Trust has been lost,” the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council said in a statement to the New York Times. “It is clear that what happened should never have happened and our children deserve better recognition from those in charge of their care.”
“This is history that has been lived for generations at our family tables, and we continue to deal with systemic abuse, but now in 2025, it is championed as support and education,” Jacobs said.
The Times Union reported that the mother claimed during the meeting that the school district forced her to agree to use a time-out box in order for her child to continue his education.
“This is where it gets really disappointing. We’re a very poor school district,” Jacobs said. “When you try to say to a parent, ‘You need to sign this or your child will be kicked out,’ what you’re really telling them is that even if you don’t agree with it, even if you don’t feel it’s right, agree with it, because you’re going to lose your job, you’re going to lose your home, you’re going to starve, you’re going to lose your kids.”
the country responds
The use of “restraint and seclusion” is prohibited under New York state code, according to a letter sent to Harper from the Department of Special Education ordering the removal of the boxes and obtained by USA TODAY.
“The conditions at Salmon River are below that standard, and the department is committed to working with the school community to ensure the district is in full compliance with all applicable segregation laws and regulations,” the department said in a statement to USA TODAY.
The Times Union reported that state regulations allow educators to lock students alone in an unlocked space during a timeout period, where they can be supervised and “move around or lie down comfortably.” It added that the state updated its regulations in 2023 following an investigation by the paper into disciplinary practices across New York.
The Times Union added that second-graders and high school students in the Salmon River School District were either physically restrained or had their time expired, but said, “Due to the small number of incidents, the state suppressed the details of these incidents.”
New York Governor Cathy Hochul said in a statement that the allegations are “alarming and completely unacceptable.” “As a mother, I know firsthand the trust parents place in schools and the teachers and administrators who work with their children,” Hochul said. “Schools should be places where all children feel safe, respected and supported.”
The district announced at a special meeting on Dec. 23 that it had appointed Franklin-Essex-Hamilton BOCES District Superintendent Dale Breaux as acting superintendent.
USA TODAY has reached out to the district and Harper for further comment.
