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.
These parents demand that their children be treated as if they did not do any abnormal things. The law usually backs up the parents. Its called the Americans With Disabilities Act. We must not only totally and extremely expensively modify every part of society to accommodate “disabilities” but we must officially not notice where they damage others. My wife is a lo-o-o-ongtime SpecEd teacher. She sees it all the time and her career has been spent dealing with nutjob parents and their nutjob kids. The worst are the Moslem children and their, usually wealthy professional and nutjob, parents’ demands that the children be deferred to in all things.
Homeschooling and private schooling is a sweet deal. The teachers ,the schools and the public students, get the tax dollars of the home schoolers and the private schoolers all the home schoolers and private schoolers want is to be left alone.
The lack of discipline in the homes and the legal impossibility of any sort of discipline in the government schools leaves the Law as the only avenue for teachers.
Much of the lack of discipline in the home is a reaction to the government oversight of domestic life and criminalizing of almost all discipline in the home or anywhere else.
100% correct. The ADA has had the side effect of criminalizing anti-social behavior by disturbed kids, just as the severe mental illness is now criminalized thanks to analogous nightmare legislation.
It is really, really bad for a 6 year old to be charged. And no judge on earth (except in sharia law) will ever punish this autistic boy. But it may be the only leverage a school has to get rid of a violent kid and his parents from hell, to protect the normal kids and staff.
That spelling is intentional. It is commonly used on FR when the intent of the author is to deride the public Skool system.
[And don’t forget his MENSA freepermail to me.]
Why don't you post the text of your FReepmails to me, Einstein?
Here’s a word you can look up in the dictionary: `Profanity`. Is that what junior’s vocabulary consists of as well?
Normal parents of normal kids have no business putting their children in government schools, anyway. That is child-abuse on its face.
I am in shock of what I am reading from fellow freepers. I can’t not believe people are defending someone that should be able to defend themselves, especially from a 6 year old.
Is the 6 year old 6 inches taller than her? Give me a break. Let them sue the parents if they want, but to charge him with a CRIME is so stupid. How many parents have had their own kids “assault” them? And turn around and placate the kid. I generally think parents overreact to critisim of their child, but a 6 year old is something I am sure no parent would ever expect in a million years. I don’t believe her complaint one bit.
I sympathize with your view, but get ready for this to become common. The schools have no legal option in some cases to protect normal kids and staff from assault.
Well that fact adds a twist to the story. I have a niece who is autistic, a cousin whose son is autistic and I have 2 friends with autistic children and I have never seen any of them become violent. I had a feeling there was more to this story than what was first reported. I worked with a lady whose son had ODD among other things and by the time he was in middle school she had to institutionalize him because he became dangerous. She and her husband were afraid he was going to kill them in their sleep. He had already gone after the father with a knife. Scary. She loved him but just could not handle him.
I understand all that, in which case the aide should sue the system, the school, the law, for putting her in this situation. Not an incapable child unable to defend themselves, or even knowing what they did. If the system put him in there, they should be responsible.
Nathan Darnell will go from bad to worse.
As the years go by, he will always be excused by two words, "He's Autistic!" He will learn that he can attack people with impunity. He may even say, with a grin, "I'm Autistic!"
Anyone who points out that his attack behavior would not be tolerated in a common dog, much less a human being, will be called names like "sociopath".
One day, when the child is a full-grown adult he will attack the wrong person, maybe a police officer or armed citizen.
They can carve the excuse on that future gravestone, "HE WAS AUTISTIC!"
So, to sum up your post - Autistic children cannot be held accountable for their actions, including acts of violence against others. It will always be the adult’s fault because they either were negligent or not trained correctly.
No blame on the attacker.
Are we on DemocraticUnderground? I could have sworn this was FreeRepublic...
My mistake...
the system: too vague, no case
the school: why what did they do? no case.
the law: policians are immune from prosecution for realy bad law. no case.
If I had my way public school teachers would carry rulers to swat the knuckles of misbehaving, daydreaming kids.
The kid probably did need discipline not this dumb soap opera. It was a waste of tax payer dollars to arrest a six year old for throwing temper tantrum.
Autistics with oppositional disorders are not the only children who will take advantage of schools with lax discipline. Honestly, I don’t know why anyone would use a school that expects little kids to all be perfect angels and throws their hands up in the air when the children turn out to be stubborn and foolish.
[Yeah, but it’s the bulls eye on somebody elses target, three lanes down the range. Having a little trouble focusing?
(I knew you were going to say that, Snicker.)]
I’m just glad you’re not a mortarman. :-)
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