Posted on 09/20/2019 10:01:04 PM PDT by Morgana
A Washington middle school has been criticized for allegedly planning to seat a student with autism and an auto-immune disorder inside a bathroom.
Danielle Goodwyn said her sixth-grade son Lucas, 11, needs a quiet environment to study as his condition can be triggered by loud noises. But she was shocked to find out the faculty's solution when she visited his classroom in the Whatcom Middle School on Monday.
According to a photo taken by the child's mother, shared with local media outlet KCPQ, his desk was placed over the top of a toilet, and his chair was in close proximity to the sink. The woman also claimed that staff put down a camping mat on the floor to sleep on if he needed to nap.
The teacher reportedly told the concerned mother there was no other option for the child.
"It's not an appropriate place for anyone, but especially for Lucas with his PANDAS condition, he can't be around germs. That's something that can really affect his body," the mother hit back, speaking to KOMO News."It smelled and just the thought of my son working his school day away in a bathroom was disturbing to me."
The child has reportedly been taken out of the school for now and has said he does not want to return. The student told KCPQ the situation with the proposed seating plan left him feeling scared, saying: "I thought this was going to be where I was for the rest of the year."
A representative for Bellingham Public Schools did not immediately respond to a request for comment. A spokesperson told KOMO News that space in the middle school was limited and confirmed that a complaint had been filed with administrators on Thursday morning.
(Excerpt) Read more at newsweek.com ...
Sometimes, the public school is not the correct choice for a special needs child. Many schools don’t have facilities and staff they can devote to meet all needs of this population.
They just don’t. This child needs a One to One staff to go through the school day with him, probably for the entire school year.
Schools make a bundle off special needs kids. They want them in the school.
My son wears noise-cancelling headphones in his class room. Putting him in a tiled bathroom (the acoustics!) would be torture for him.
Regards,
I once had an office for a year in a bathroom. At least the plumbing had been removed, although capped pipes still protruded from the walls.
I wonder, did the school have no closets that could be converted into tiny classrooms? Why did they choose a bathroom?
This year....he's taking trumpet....and guess what....his autism deficiency is GONE. I told my friend that they convinced the guy that it was a problem...and it became a problem. More to it....but basically, he didn't like parents yakking and yakking and would go play in another room.
You know it’s bad when it’s the kids who learn in a quiet environment who are the ones who have to leave the room.
That’s not uncommon. Very often, its experiences in the arts where students learn to excel. It’s a crime that schools are eliminating the arts in favor of test prep. They’re often missing those aptitudes which would cause a child to meet his/her potential.
I have seen this several times in my life, even with a friend as a child. The parents for some reason just assumed a child had problems. Then the child realized that they could work the situation and get favored treatment. All along there was not thing wrong with them and they were actually sharper than a tack.
The daughter became a Doctor....a physician
No ... it's a crime that government schools exist.
Good for them. More need to do that. Problem is that now they turn you into Health and Human Services and they come take the kid away and do it anyhow.
My younger brother took a cardboard refrigerator box cut down just about in half to school. It had three sides. The teacher put it around him to remove distractions. He sat in the front row with the open end facing forward.
It worked. His grades improved immediately.
L
Thats right needs an aid hired by school. Putting him in a bathroom? Its child abuse.
Where do you suggest they put him? If it was a classroom restroom then I’m sure it was cleaned and it wasn’t still used as a restroom. And the teachers were right there in the classroom. Sounds like the best solution all around.
If he’s that bad off, he shouldn’t be in school but a facility that can meet his extra special needs.
He still needs supervision. Where’s the supervision if he’s stuck in a closet down the hall?
Most of these classes have restrooms in the classroom. He gets his private room and the teacher is still there for him. A win-win.
Bet the mother is lying about the smell. Bet it’s clean and certainly not being used as a restroom anymore.
That’s why I took my special needs students to the band hall and let them feel the instruments as they were being played and sit beside the band students. I also got the admin. to let them into art classes and no one freaked out when they drew guns. We also did lots of out of the box crafts. Ever try flint napping with special needs kids? It’s a lot easier than with other kids who don’t pay attention. Not one drop of blood, ever. Once a weeks we’d learn real cooking and no one lost a finger over a knife. How about hands on goat milking and grilling goat burgers? How about negotiating stores and counting money? How about conquering their fear of the outside world? We’d go geocaching so they could learn to read a simple map/compass and follow directions. Oh, the thrill of walking up even the teeniest of hills. King of the Mountain! Yeah, they’re not likely to get into MIT so they need life skills.
Sadly, when I left, the new teacher sat them all in desks and that was that.
bgill, you must have been a wonderful teacher! Most teachers I talk to today are afraid to try anything innovative. It’s been drummed out of them. Everything is “the test”.
Thanks.
Yes, everything is “the test”. Kids can’t have fun learning anymore. Bunch of little robots.
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