Native kids with disabilities were held in wooden boxes. Sweeping reforms are coming

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https://www.npr.org/2026/05/14/nx-s1-5821682/salmon-river-mohawk-children

Fort Covington, New York - Rumors spread on social media over the winter: School kids with disabilities in the Salmon River Central School District, including Akwesasne Mohawk children, were being confined by special education teachers in wooden boxes. Sarah Konwahahawi Herne was devastated.

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Local school officials later confirmed that at least two boxes had been built and used by staff in November and December of 2025. That disclosure sent more shockwaves through this region of small Upstate New York towns just south of the U.S.-Canada border, which includes the sprawling St. Regis Mohawk Reservation.

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According to the report obtained by NPR, the state's investigation found at least five elementary-age students with disabilities were confined in a "wooden box for a timeout."

"They were subjected to seclusion when they were placed in 'stations' with the door held shut," states the May 8 order. The report, which offers no details about the children's ages or ethnicity, found that "station" was the district's euphemism for "a wooden box." It also concludes that parents of children held in the boxes weren't notified, a violation of state regulations.