Canton School For The Disabled Can Continue Using Shock Devices

CANTON, MA — The U.S. Court of Appeals has ruled the Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton can keep using Electrical Stimulation Devices after the court overturned the FDA's ban on them.

This 2-1 decision came Tuesday, after originally banning shock devices in March of 2020 when a video surfaced of a student getting shocked for not putting his coat on, sparking widespread controversy over the treatment.

This ruling will allow the school to continue delivering electric shocks to some of the adult residents to correct aggressive behavior and help prevent self-injuries when other alternatives fail.

While advocates for the disabled are calling this practice "torture," WCVB reported that parents of the intellectually disabled at the school say the shocks are a life-saving treatment and the only thing that works.

Judge Rotenberg Educational Center in Canton is the only school in the country that shocks its students with electricity.

According to the FDA, between 45 and 50 students of the 275 who reside at the Judge Rotenberg Center were receiving electric shocks before the ban.