Wooden box at the St. Regis Mohawk School. (Provided photo — Facebook)

The St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council is calling for a vote of “no confidence” in the superintendent of the Salmon River school district after the school admitted children were confined in windowless boxes as punishment.

Photos of padded, wooden crates the size of an elementary schooler spread on Facebook Monday and drew outrage from parents and community members. Superintendent Stanley Harper originally said in response that the box pictured wasn’t used to discipline children at the Salmon River Elementary School or the St. Regis Mohawk School, which is also part of the district.

But at a board meeting Wednesday night, Harper admitted two other windowless boxes were used as a “timeout” discipline technique. According to North Country Now, he said they had been in use for up to several weeks. He said they have since been taken apart and removed.

At a public meeting at the Akwesasne Housing Authority Tuesday, several parents claimed that their children had been put inside the box as a timeout technique. Organizers said the box was designed for a specific 8-year-old student who is on the spectrum and non-verbal.

In a statement, the St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Council called the boxes “inhumane” and said their use showed “gross mismanagement and overarching broad operational failures.” The tribal chiefs called for the school board to declare “no confidence” in Harper and his leadership. They also called for an independent investigation into the matter.

The incident is particularly sensitive because of a painful part of Mohawk and indigenous history. In the 1900s, thousands of native children were forced to go to residential schools, where they were often tortured.

According to the Albany Times-Union, the state education department told the school to stop placing children in “seclusion” and said it will send representatives to visit the school this week.