( CNN ) -- A Texas woman tearfully recounted the death of her foster child at the hands of a schoolteacher during a congressional hearing Tuesday looking into the use of seclusion and restraints in U.S. schools . The House Committee on Education and Labor heard testimony Tuesday on a report looking at school abuse . The hearing came on the heels of a report issued by the investigating arm of Congress that documents widespread abuse of techniques use to restrain or discipline special-education students . The Government Accountability Office report was prepared for the House Committee on Education and Labor , which heard testimony from parents , investigators and experts who described traumatizing punishment of special-needs children . The violent acts -- from hours of isolation in locked rooms or closets to the use of handcuffs and pinning children on the floor -- often led to serious injuries and even death , witnesses said . Committee Chairman Rep. George Miller , D-California , called the testimony `` startling . '' `` This is just unacceptable , '' he said . `` This punishment is way out of bounds of what I believe are the social norms of this society . '' Toni Price of Killeen , Texas , told committee members that her 14-year-old foster child , Cedric , died in March 2002 when his eighth-grade teacher 's disciplinary actions went too far . His death was one of the cases investigated by the GAO -- and the teacher , who is now working in a Virginia high school , has been placed on leave as a result of the congressional investigation . Price said Cedric was experiencing behavioral problems in school and on that particular day he stopped working at 11 a.m. His teacher withheld his lunch . Around 2:30 , still without having eaten , Cedric tried to leave the classroom . Her voice shaking and tears welling in her eyes , Price said the teacher , whom she described as over 6 feet tall and weighing 230 pounds , forced the boy in a chair and restrained him . Price said Cedric , a small boy , struggled , so the teacher put him face down and sat on him . `` I ca n't breathe , '' he said . `` If you can speak , you can breathe , '' the teacher said , according to Price 's testimony . Shortly after that , Cedric stopped struggling , and then stopped moving altogether . The teacher continued to restrain him as an aide wiped drool off his face , Price said . They then sat him up in the chair but Cedric slumped over and slid off , Price said . He was dead before Price could get to the school . `` If I treated Cedric that way at home , I 'd be in jail , '' Price told lawmakers . Cedric 's death was ruled a homicide , Price said , but the teacher never faced trial . She was placed on a Texas registry of individuals found to have abused children but , despite the listing , she now teaches at a public high school in Virginia , Price told the committee . Tuesday morning , the American Association of School Administrators told the committee that the teacher involved in Price 's death had been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation . The school system acted after the GAO referred its findings to the state school board , the organization reported . Price questioned why the crimes of pedophiles are public but teachers who torture children are free to continue working without disclosure of their past actions . Government auditors examined hundreds of allegations of abuse , the GAO report said . In 20 of those cases , it said , children died after being put in restraints . In four of those , the restraints were found to have resulted in the children suffocating . GAO investigator Greg Kutz told the House committee Tuesday that he lacked data to quantify the problem , but in the 2008 school year , investigators discovered 33,000 instances of seclusion , restraints or other punishments in Texas and California alone . Despite the problem , Kutz said , no federal regulations exist on the treatment of the more than 6 million children classified as having `` special needs , '' conditions including autism and Down syndrome . At the state level , the laws are widely divergent -- 19 states have no laws at all . Auditors found that eight states prohibit prone restraints or other techniques that hinder breathing , and 17 require teachers or staff to be trained in proper techniques before using them . Only six keep records of how frequently those techniques are used , and reports are required by law in only two of those states -- California and Connecticut . The GAO investigation found that teachers and school staff frequently lack training in correct restraint methods , and in some cases , where improper restraints led to injuries , teachers often kept their jobs . In 13 states , parents have to agree before teachers can restrain children in non-emergency situations , while 19 require teachers to notify parents after the fact . Parents contacted by CNN commonly said they were not told their children were being disciplined until after they began to behave badly at home , which to them indicated trouble at school . When confronted with complaints , school systems sometimes sought to minimize or deny the allegations , even after public investigations found the charges to be true , according to parents and the GAO report . Miller 's committee is considering new laws governing what actions teachers can take to rein in disruptive special-needs students . Abbie Boudreau and Steve Turnham of the CNN Special Investigations Unit contributed to this report .
New GAO report shows abuse of techniques used to restrain special-ed kids . House Education and Labor Committee hears testimony from parents , investigators . Chairman Miller , D-California , called the testimony `` startling '' Government auditors examined hundreds of allegations of abuse .