Yes. The article gave me that impression.
And knowing the full story from last year would confirm it. Your impression was spot on.
Well, I'm not sure how you read that into this article - perhaps you could enlighten me. If this father deliberately put his young son into a known harms way, I would say that is despicable - and I'm not talking about the normal unpredictable hazards of life that affect everyone such as the dangers of crossing the road OR being met by a group of hoodlums in a dark alley. However, I would suggest that regardless of what the views are of any party in any dispute, there should be a reasonable expectation of safety for an innocent child. By not being able to make that assumption, the school and the state have not lived up to their responsibilities - and I hope they get their butt sued off.