Use of weighted vest at Berkeley school raises questions about parental consent

LeConte Elementary School in Berkeley, Calif. as seen on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 LeConte Elementary School in Berkeley, Calif. as seen on Thursday, Feb. 11, 2016 Photo: Brittany Murphy, The Chronicle Buy photo Photo: Brittany Murphy, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 3 Caption Close Use of weighted vest at Berkeley school raises questions about parental consent 1 / 3 Back to Gallery

At a Berkeley School Board meeting in early January, a parent made a disturbing comment about his daughter's experience in a transitional kindergarten classroom at LeConte Elementary.

Carlos Pennington said his five-year-old daughter had been punished by being forced to wear a weighted vest in class, and made other allegations of abuse.

"I don't know how a kid is supposed to go to school and be ostracized like that, and be made the pariah of a classroom because she has on a vest that is for discipline," said Pennington, a graduate of Berkeley schools himself. His daughter stood by his side at the meeting, the top of her head barely reaching above the podium.

"I've never heard of anything like that before in my life," Pennington said.

Read the rest of this story on Berkeleyside.

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