An investigation into unusual practices at a school serving disabled students in the state of Rhode Island has led to shocking allegations of forced manual labor under a practice the school designated “sheltered workshops.”
The Harold H. Birch Vocational School in Providence, Rhode
Island, which operates within the Mount Pleasant High School, is
now accused of having violated the Americans with Disabilities
Act after evidence that mentally disabled students were being
segregated into contracted work for little or no pay.
In a 17-page letter produced by the Justice Department on June 7
and reported on by local WPRI News, officials detail the
illegality of the so-called workshops.
“Birch obtains contracts with
private businesses to perform work, such as bagging, labeling,
collating, and assembling jewelry,” the letter stated.
“One former student stated that
she was required to spend a much greater portion of her school
day in the workshop, including full days, when the workshop had
important production deadlines.”
WPRI has reported that students were paid “subminimum or no wages” for their
labor, according to the Justice Department report. The DOJ’s
investigation revealed that students who were at least paid only
made between 50 cents and $2 per hour, and sometimes worked
weekends.
Providence Mayor Angel Taveras has stated that he was not aware
of the program until a federal investigation was launched in
January. The Mayor says the School has since terminated the
program.
"I think there were very low
expectations at that school ... we weren't preparing them to be
successful as young adults," Taveras told WPRI.
"I think we all let these kids
down."
According to the DOJ’s investigation the program kept limited
records, and the hours worked by each student did not appear to
be tracked at all.
Even more troubling is that once students graduated from the
program, with ages ranging from 14 to 21, they were given the
option to continue working at another “sheltered workshop”
through a Training Through Placement program in North Providence,
described as a state-monitored program for disabled adults.
According to that program’s website, contracted work with the TTP
program might involve "light
assembling, sorting, various piecework tasks" and other
services.
The Justice Department found that the Harold H. Birch Vocational
School was functioning as a “feeder” to the continuing program,
despite some students’ requests to work “in more integrated settings.”
"TTP is a segregated setting
with many of the hallmarks of other segregated settings,"
the DOJ letter states, where "individuals are required to follow fixed,
highly regimented schedules and routines; individuals with
disabilities do not have private or personal space and are
separated from spaces for managers and staff without
disabilities; individuals exercise very limited choice over the
activities that they engage in throughout the day."
Meanwhile, the fallout from the investigation into the forced
labor has been swift. According to Mayor Taveras, the city
immediately placed the principal of the school, Larry Roberti, on
leave. A lawyer for the city stated that Roberti resigned on
Tuesday.
On the whole, the Justice Department’s investigation paints a
dire picture of future prospects for disabled students at Harold
Birch.
"Other than the in-school
sheltered workshop, the nearest experience that some Birch
students are offered to a transition work placement is assisting
the Mt. Pleasant High School cafeteria staff with emptying the
school's trash," the report cites.
Taveras has said the city as well as the state of Rhode Island
will enter into a settlement agreement with the federal
government. He said it is unclear whether the Justice Department
will make the city of Providence pay money for the violations,
and it remains unclear whether the students forced to work will
be given back pay either at the federal minimum wage or
otherwise.
The Justice Department’s report also found that the local school
board was warned about potential problems at Birch in a 2011
report.
"Unfortunately the City has
continued to advance these practices at Birch despite a stark
warning from the Council of the Great City Schools that such a
practice was concerning," the report states.