I don't even have words for this

Discussion in 'Homeschooling in the News' started by Actressdancer, Sep 23, 2007.

  1. Actressdancer

    Actressdancer New Member

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    The school district is not involved in the lawsuit. It is a private case of the teacher's aid vs. the boy.

    I'm not saying that you thought otherwise. I am just clarifying in case someone did.
     
  2. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Thanks for the clarification, Amie! I would still assume that she has been warned against saying anything to the press, however.
     
  3. Actressdancer

    Actressdancer New Member

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    Oh, I'm sure she has. I wasn't really trying to disagree. I'm just quite sleepy and it hit me that others might think the school was somehow involved.
     
  4. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    I know you weren't! I think it's important to keep our facts as we know them as accurate as possible, and that's what you were trying to do!
     
  5. Kellie

    Kellie New Member

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    Reading that article did make me angry, there is probably more to the story than being said but it still doesn't make it right.

    Children are mainstreamed into regular ed. classes, alot of these children have poor control over their impulses due to their disability. Depending on how severe his autism is, he could be having a sensory overload with the kids, lights, noise, the teacher/aide reacting to his behavior.

    I've worked in classrooms and I have witness teachers/aides provoking a child knowing how to push their buttons. This may not be the case in this story but witnessed this in other schools.

    All school personal who work with disable children should be trained on how to restrain a child, so both can be safe. Why wasn't this child restrained or redirected when his behavior begins to escalate? There are tell-tale signs of what is disturbing the child. I do agree there needs to be discipline from the school/parents but not so in all cases.

    As far as charging him, it's wrong!!!! In this state a child can not be charge with a crime underneath the age of 10 (totally relying on memory here, yikes :eek:) ). It's usually filed as a CINC case: child in need of care. Usually when young children are in criminal situations, the courts file CINC cases to investigate the home environment.

    Just my two cents.
     
  6. MonkeyMamma

    MonkeyMamma New Member

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    I agree that no matter what the whole true story is that this child should not be charged criminally.
     
  7. KrisRV

    KrisRV New Member

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    man alive I didn't really want to get into this subject but man oh man you can't blame that little boy.. How could anyone blame him? First they need to go to the parents. I have a nephew just like him.. My girls and I can go into many stories about him, but we wouldn't and it all leads back to the parents. Yes he has problems but he can and does well when his parents aren't around. Leave the little boy alone and take whatever problem you have up with the parents.. They are the ones who trained him..
     
  8. MonkeyMamma

    MonkeyMamma New Member

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    Kris I think we were seperated at birth! We almost always think alike! From my experiences that is my opinion too.
     
  9. KrisRV

    KrisRV New Member

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    Tiffany, I think so but I am alot older then you. I am the older sister we need to meet.
     
  10. chickenlittle

    chickenlittle New Member

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    I agree that it is poorly written and very bias. It reminds me of poorly run "current affairs" programs. Which I take with a grain of salt.
     
  11. Actressdancer

    Actressdancer New Member

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    Part of why it's so poorly written is that it just a transcript of the news story. If you click the box to the right of the "article", you can watch it. It seems like it doesn't follow well when written because of all the cuts to different people in the news story.
     
  12. hmsclmommyto2

    hmsclmommyto2 New Member

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    This is ridiculous! A child of 6 without a disability wouldn't be able to fully grasp the concept of criminal charges, how can they possibly expect this child to understand what is going on? The child should NOT be mainstreamed with other children. He should be in special ed classes with teachers & aides that having training in dealing with kids like him. If he has the mentality of a 3 year old, he probably is having problems academically being in a regular Kindergarten classroom. Add to that, adults that don't know how to deal with him, a whole classroom full of other kids that need attention as well, and you're just setting yourself up for something like this.
    The district never should have allowed this child to be mainstreamed at this point. Maybe in the future, when his behavior is more under control & he's mentally closer to the other students, but not at this age with these problems. This is a special needs child & should be treated as one. Pressing criminal charges against him isn't going to teach him anything, he's not going to understand it.
    If the child is prone to violence (which apparently he is), the parents should be working together with the school & the child's Dr to come up with ways that the school can deal with his fits, without something like this happening. The parents, school, and Drs should be working together no matter what, actually. That is the only way that this child will recieve the care & education he needs. It sounds like they haven't been working together & that maybe this isn't the first time something has happened. (I haven't read all ther responses yet, so sorry if I'm repeating something someone else already said).
    Anyway, I believe something should be done about this, but criminal charges against a 6 year old with the mentality of a 3 year old is just plain STUPID. The child needs help learning correct behavior, and acceptable ways to communicate (without violence). He does not need to be dragged into court. This is an extremely severe way to handle this situation. I can't believe a judge is actually going to let this go to trial. There are extenuating circumstances here that nobody seems to be taking into account.
    If the parents aren't doing anything about his behavior, require them to get help; counseling or classes or something, so they learn how to deal with his behavior & teach him appropriate behaviors. Force the school to put him into special ed classes with qualified, trained teachers. If the school doesn't have a special ed class, move him to a school that can meet his needs. But don't drag the poor kid into court, pressing criminal charges. It isn't his fault if he hasn't been taught better, non-violent ways to deal with things. He's only 6 & he has a disability! It is up to his parents to make sure that his needs are being met, that he's learning apropriate behaviors & communication skills (that fit in with his abilities, of course). He can't learn that stuff on his own.
     
  13. AmyU

    AmyU New Member

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    Thats what I like about the district I work for they have an autism department. (not the district we live in, I wish it was). I mention this a work yesterday and my boss (who is the head of the autism department at the school) coundn't believe this. All the children in this district with austism go to this school unless they are high functioning. One of the girls I work with sub for this department and she had a large burse on her leg from a child with austism. But as she said she knew what she was getting into, that these children can be violent. I don't think age makes a difference at all in this case, alot of children with austism never reach a high mental age. Some are luck to even learn to talk. Let alone understand our world. I believe this is very wrong, if the person knew anything about austism then they should have know the risk that went with it!
     
  14. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    EXACTLY, Amy!!! The gal said she "knew what she was getting into". If this lady didn't know, then it was because she was just a body in the room, rather than a REAL "aide".
     
  15. kyzg

    kyzg New Member

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    Yep, it sure is. I can't believe the stories I hear about things that end up in court--whether they involve children or not.

    What's even more tragic is that this situation reached a point where the aid felt it necessary to resort to such an absurd action. As someone mentioned before, maybe this was the only way to bring attention to an ignored problem. If the lawsuit is currently only between the parents & aide, it'll be interesting to see if the aide ends up suing the district.
     
  16. Actressdancer

    Actressdancer New Member

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    Sadly, this is not a lawsuit between the parents and the aide. If it were that, I would not be quite so irked. The aide is pressing criminal charges (not a lawsuit) against THE CHILD directly. She's not suing anyone. This is a criminal case that could result in the child facing a criminal punishment if found guilty. Of course, some head shaking needs to be done in the direction of the prosecutor, as well, who obviously decided to press on with the charges.
     
  17. Jackie

    Jackie Active Member

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    Exactly, Amie! This child is NOT a "criminal"!!! Yes, he needs some kind of intervention and training on controlling behavior, but part of the aide's job is to help with that.
     
  18. mommix3

    mommix3 Active Member

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    I always thought that the parents were responsible for what their child did up until a certain age.

    I have 2 cousins who are autistic and to be quite honest they don't know how to deal with anger and fear. They lash out. One has had intervention since he was small the other has had none and you can see a big differance in the two. But they both still have a hard time controlling their emotions. I don't think a child of that age,whether they have a disability or not,should be charged and brought to court. That is going to be very tramatic for this young child. The parents need to take responsiblity for what happened and get some intervention. Perhaps they can find a way to get the charges dropped if they do so.

    I don't think that article told the whole story. It was all one sided. I'm sure that's all due to the pending trial. I sure hope,for the childs sake,that the parents step up. I can't imagine anyone who works with children pressing criminal charges unless their was a very good reason. There's definatly more to this story.
     
  19. Kathy

    Kathy New Member

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    I also think there's more to the story. I tend to believe parents are ultimately responsible for their childrens actions whether they are disabled or not. I thought the filing against the child was drastic but maybe for a reason-to draw attention to something that has been going on for awhile. When the parents admitted his whining to be bothersome but they find a way to deal with it made me think at first that their way of dealing with him was to send him off to others to be taken care of. I know that sounds harsh but that was my first thought when I read that part. It makes me wonder if his behavior is so bad they don't even want him at home.
     

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