While this may have been spontaneous bullying, there should be at least *some* mention if it was not spontaneous, though it wouldn’t have any bearing on the outcome.
The “mainstreaming” of mentally disabled children in schools doesn’t always work out. And the system goes to lengths to insure they are given maximum care and consideration; sometimes at the expense of the other children. Done injudiciously, this can generate anger and resentment at the disabled children.
Screaming tantrums, violent rages, very inappropriate scatological and sexual behavior during class, are often excused. Though for normal children, “disruptive behavior”, so much as an inappropriate garment or crude joke or sharing a piece of gum, can result in immediate suspension or expulsion.
The end result for the normal children is that particular classes are so stressful that they cannot learn in them, and they must always be on guard lest the mentally disabled student physically attack them.
Back when I was in high school, there was a retarded black kid in the general population. Yet he was short and slow and was not a threat to any one. Some times during baseball season the bright kids would gather around him and he would talk about how Hank Aaron had hits and scored runs.
“The “mainstreaming” of mentally disabled children in schools doesn’t always work out. And the system goes to lengths to insure they are given maximum care and consideration; sometimes at the expense of the other children. Done injudiciously, this can generate anger and resentment at the disabled children.
Screaming tantrums, violent rages, very inappropriate scatological and sexual behavior during class, are often excused. Though for normal children, “disruptive behavior”, so much as an inappropriate garment or crude joke or sharing a piece of gum, can result in immediate suspension or expulsion.
The end result for the normal children is that particular classes are so stressful that they cannot learn in them, and they must always be on guard lest the mentally disabled student physically attack them.”
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Very much agree with you on this. It’s not fair that the retarded kid in the class room can throw their snack packs against the wall and the other kids can only look and wonder “why does that kid get away with this behavior and we don’t?”
There is another reason and what happened here is why. For their own protection. Is that so hard to understand? I knew when this “mainstreaming” started that special needs kids would be attacked by bullies but never in a million years did I think it would be this bad. Lets be honest too, the jocks did this and they are sometimes the biggest bullies on campus. I made it a point to avoid them in HS and college because knew that when and if they did something the school/justice system always was behind them just because they carried a damn football. Problem is, this child does not have the intelligence to avoid these boys. He does not understand them the way the rest of us do. Those jocks said “come in the locker room we want to give you a hug” and he followed! He really believed that is what they wanted to do. He was a lamb among wolves, and he was slaughtered. No one was there to protect him. Kids like these need not be in an environment where they are preyed upon.
The fact that the coaches in this story came out and defended the players and tore down this child does not surprise me at the least. Can you say Steubenville, Ohio? I knew you could! Does not matter if it’s a drunk girl or retarded boy only thing that matters is a stupid game.
Anyway, it would have been best had these kids still had their own special schools where it was just kids like them. Less chance of bullies, more teachers trained to meet their needs. Most important they are not disrupting the teaching/learning time of other teachers/students.
I don’t agree with the current mainstreaming approach, but that has no bearing on this case whatsoever. These sadistic criminals should be in jail, and there is nothing that excuses any other outcome.