Posted on 09/23/2007 7:43:27 PM PDT by Graybeard58
A six-year-old autistic boy has been charged criminally after an incident inside his school where he allegedly assaulted a teacher's aide.
It's a story you saw first on 9News.
The incident happened earlier this month at Taylor Elementary School in Brooksville, Ky., located in Bracken County.
He is in kindergarten at Taylor Elementary, but 9News was told that due to his autism and other conditions, his mental capacity is the equivalent to a child half his age.
But despite that condition and his age, it still hasn't stopped a school employee there from holding him accountable: criminally.
Whether it's playing outside with his parents, or coloring SpongeBob Squarepants pictures, Nathan Darnell isn't much different than other kids his age.
But two things that do make him different from many other six-year-olds is his autism – and his criminal rap sheet.
"We are not denying that he did what they are saying, but we are denying he is culpable," said Tony Darnell, Nathan's father.
It was just last week when Nathan's teacher's aide, Glenda Schiltz, filed a juvenile fourth degree misdemeanor assault charge against him.
"What human being with a heart would do that to a six-year old?, asked Cathy Darnell, Nathan's mother. "Seriously, who would do that? I know I wouldn't."
According to the affidavit which 9News obtained, Schiltz alleges that on September 5, Nathan grabbed her by the shirt, pulled her backwards and began punching and kicking her.
"He admits to shoving her down, but he says he didn't pull her backwards," said Tony Darnell.
"She is no small person, she can defend herself," said Cathy Darnell.
So what does the school have to say about the matter?
Superintendent of Bracken County Schools Tony Johnson would not appear on camera but did say in a statement, "I believe we followed proper procedures and I have full faith in my staff".
Despite being autistic, Nathan is integrated with all kindergartners at Taylor Elementary.
His parents believe Schiltz and other teachers there are ill-prepared to handle special needs students.
His mother openly questions Schiltz's credentials.
"[She believes] you need to take him behind the woodshed and teach him something," Cathy Darnell, said. "That is her mentality, beat it out of him."
"Most of the time it [Nathan's behavior] is whining and screaming. I am sure that is hard on teachers and stuff, but we find a way to deal with it," said Tony Darnell.
On Wednesday the family went to the county courthouse, where an inquiry was held and it was decided the criminal case against Nathan will indeed move forward.
It's likely then that Schiltz will have to be there.
But until they get a chance to tell her personally, Nathan's family, in the meantime, does have something they want to say to her.
"She is a cold-hearted woman, that she has made every teacher look bad," said Cathy Darnell.
Repeated attempts to contact Glenda Schiltz were unsuccessful.
9News also was in communication with several school board members and none wanted to comment on the matter.
This is all heading to a proceeding scheduled for next week in which six-year-old Nathan will appear in juvenile court as a defendant.
Oh, that is the "Intelligent statement" of the day. Well done.
“I am having a rough time with a sixth-grade autistic kid in one of my classes. He constantly claims other kids are attacking him etc., and it is ridiculous. He should not be in class, but thanks to the federal government least restrictive environment regulations, I have to deal with it and my entire class is disrupted.”
Does he have an aide assigned to help him? Have you been trained to deal with autistic kids? what subject do you teach?
Are you saying that this particular disability is caused by substance abuse on the part of the parent?
He sounds like he is high functioning. Usually Autistics do not relate well enough to other people to regard them as threats.
The special education classes are not the place for high functioning autistics. They would be if the special education teachers had the time and resourses to teach exactly what is taught in the regular classes. They do not, so the special classes can’t even teach what the slow regular classes teach. By putting this child in special class you will condemn him to a third class existence.
Take him aside and tell him to toughen up. Put him on the front row. Also, remeber you won’t have him next year.
As an elective teacher, speech and TV production, there are no paras for me....
I have been given some ideas and have some paperwork on him to help, but that only can go so far.
The main thing is to keep him doing something at all times to help him from being overloaded. I have noticed that has made a difference, but it still is a challenge.
Let’s just say by the end of the year I have not regretted becoming a teacher. I have heard it make take 2-3 years to finally get classroom management under control enough and to have a style well enough to actually love it finally.
Sad! I loved student teaching, and it reinforced my passion. But, this is so difficult.
I have tried everything the other teachers suggest to get the classroom under control, and they still don’t listen and be quiet when I am trying to teach.
Quite rough. Anyway, sorry for the rant. Just needed to rant to somebody.
But, I am getting extra support for the student even though I do not have an aide for him.
True. Good ideas. I have started getting a few decent students next to him to help him stay on task, and that has improved things a bit.
You are right.It was not good use your time or his time putting him in that class. Autistics don’t generally become statesmen. He should have taken art or band.
Bless you...you are an Angel!
But yet all the parents of “special” children on this thread will call you inadequate and ill prepared to care for their children. Good luck, Angel. Hang in there!
you’ve got mail
I have received numerous posts that seem to say that if a teacher is unable to control a child that has been improperly mainstreamed then the problem should be dropped on law enforcement. The criminal justice system is just that. It is a system used to determine if a person has committed acts or omissions proscribed by criminal code. In the event, the court or a jury finds that the acts are unlawful, then a punishment is prescribed. This is not the way to get help for a child. There are numerous other remedies including seeking civil injunctions, social service evaluations that may result in adjudication of the child as insane or incompetent or suffering from some other condition which renders the child unfit to be part of society. The problem is either the PC position that there are no defective people or the schools failure to provide contained special ed classrooms if they are so mandated.
There was once a time when adults in this country knew how to handle kids who threw temper tantrums.
Maybe one day we will reinvent this technology.
[The fact of the matter is you and yours are suckling from my largesse]
No, my children will be educated via private school. So, I’m not interested in your largesse, or your smallesse either, for that matter. (badumpump)
Thanks for posting the updated information. Interesting to note that (1) the parents had been asking for an Individualized Education Program for their child, and (2) they’d threatened to file charges previously.
So, the parents themselves might not have been demanding their child be “mainstreamed”, as many here presume. On the other hand, they’d threatened to file charges against a school bus driver, so maybe the aide was trying to CYA by filing charges.
As I said, anyone who would try to prosecute a 6-year old for ANYTHING is a complete and utter idiot. And how can you prosecute the parents for an act that the child did? Do you think that the child learned this behavior at home? Perhaps, perhaps not.
Should the child and parents be forced to undergo mandatory counseling? Yes. Should the child be in a mainstream class handled like all the other children? No. But, the article states that, “Nathan’s teacher’s aide, Glenda Schiltz, filed a juvenile fourth degree misdemeanor assault charge against him.” To file criminal charges against a 6-year old is just plain stupid.
I stand by my original statement, she should lose her job and her teaching creds.
Ruck
The money you personally pay for real estate taxes would pay for a half day Kindergartener - tops, so don’t fancy yourself the benefactor of your neighbor’s children’s education.
Uh no. Proper behavior modifications administered by competent personnel is the way to “defend yourself”.
The teachers at my son’s school weigh about 120 lbs soaking wet, and they have absolutely no problems at all handling autistic kids 6 ft tall and 200 lbs.
Of course they know how to teach children with autism.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.