Parents of a eight-year-old, disabled, non-verbal student in the Salmon River Central School District are alleging that their child - as well as other students, including others with disabilities - was locked into a wooden "time out" box while attending St. Regis Mohawk School in Akwesasne, and signaled their intention to file a lawsuit over the troubling matter.
The parents of the Native American student said that the school had built the equivalent of "wooden dog cages" inside several classrooms, which were used to subject the children to "improper restraint" and "seclusion."
They claim they were first alerted of the use of these boxes by a December 2025 social media post by former school board member Chrissy Jacobs that included a picture of one of the alleged enclosures.
“This is sick! It reminds me of when our people were locked in boxes at residential school. Most of these special needs students are not even verbal!” Jacobs' post read.
The parents realized the classroom in question was their son's, and later said the box had specifically been built for their son. The school district denied that any children were ever locked in the boxes, but according to court filings they later admitted that said boxes were in use throughout several schools in the district.
The parents maintain that there were never informed of the boxes, nor were they ever involved in the school's treatment of their son's disability.
The court filings - which are typically a prelude to a full-blown lawsuit - claim that the school district inflicted "child maltreatment" and "emotional and psychological harm." The family have stated their intent to seek significant damages in the matter.
The school district has denied that any children were ever placed in the boxes. However, at recent heated school board meetings, multiple parents have reportedly come forward, claiming that their children have told them otherwise.