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6-Year-Old Autistic Student Criminally Charged After Alleged Assault
WCPO.com ^ | September 23, 2007 | Lance Barry

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.


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Extended News; US: Kentucky
KEYWORDS: assault; autism; criminal; dangerous; education; glendaschiltz; publicschools; schools; specialkids; specialneeds; specialparents; teacher; teachers; theydonowrong; violent; wearespecial
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To: perseid 67
Actually, posting to people such as yourself does not make him a hypocrite. Those who love kids should flame those who advocate treating children like garbage.

Oh, that is the "Intelligent statement" of the day. Well done.

481 posted on 09/25/2007 7:51:40 PM PDT by New Perspective (Proud father of a 3 year old son with Down Syndrome)
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To: rwfromkansas

“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?


482 posted on 09/25/2007 7:51:49 PM PDT by snarkybob
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To: VxH

Are you saying that this particular disability is caused by substance abuse on the part of the parent?


483 posted on 09/25/2007 7:52:45 PM PDT by rodeo-mamma
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To: rwfromkansas

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.


484 posted on 09/25/2007 7:54:18 PM PDT by perseid 67 (God is great!)
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To: snarkybob

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.


485 posted on 09/25/2007 7:56:46 PM PDT by rwfromkansas ("Dick Cheney should have gone hunting with Hillary." -- Yakov Smirnoff)
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To: perseid 67

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.


486 posted on 09/25/2007 7:58:36 PM PDT by rwfromkansas ("Dick Cheney should have gone hunting with Hillary." -- Yakov Smirnoff)
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To: rwfromkansas
I did not realize you taught speech.

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.

487 posted on 09/25/2007 8:01:55 PM PDT by perseid 67 (God is great!)
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To: rwfromkansas

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!


488 posted on 09/25/2007 8:03:29 PM PDT by toldyou
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To: rwfromkansas

you’ve got mail


489 posted on 09/25/2007 8:06:02 PM PDT by snarkybob
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To: rodeo-mamma

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.


490 posted on 09/25/2007 8:13:16 PM PDT by Steamburg (Your wallet speaks the only language most politicians understand.)
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To: Steamburg
Putting a six year old in an institution for throwing a fit is nuts.

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.

491 posted on 09/25/2007 8:26:53 PM PDT by perseid 67 (God is great!)
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To: DelphiUser

[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)


492 posted on 09/25/2007 9:07:26 PM PDT by VxH (One if by Land, Two if by Sea, and Three if by Wire Transfer)
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To: Mrs.Liberty

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.


493 posted on 09/25/2007 10:15:22 PM PDT by Tired of Taxes (Dad, I will always think of you.)
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To: toldyou
I Said: “I’m gonna Go play with my kids for a bit...”

You Said: Yes...a bit.

It’s 7:45pm and a school night....glad you could spare a little time with them.

The only reason I point this out is the fact that you propose to be so devoted to your “special needs” child, but yet you spent the ENTIRE day yesterday on this thread, and today except for now....after 7:45 PM.


I work from home. My son was playing a computer game (Scooby doo) five feet from me most of this evening after 3:45 When his bus came, later, we played some Baldur's Gate (Gore turned off), all while I was surfing FR.

Not hat it is any of your business, but he wanted to go get an ice cream cone, so I signed off.

I think you can be called a hypocrite.

I have and probably will be called many things by many people, generally, I consider the source and it does not bother me too much.

Would you consider yourself to be judgmental? do you jump to conclusions as you did about tonite, BTW, I am hyperactive, so is my son, we put him to sleep at 10:00 PM and he is awake at 6:00 AM or earlier. did you read the sections earlier in this thread where we talked about how difficult it is for most parents of autistic children that their children need less sleep than they do?

I could call you many things, but mistaken will do for now.
494 posted on 09/25/2007 10:53:42 PM PDT by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: VxH
I Said: ["Greatest Generation" they did all that without a federal school system, and they did it better.]

You Said: The Greatest Generation spoke English and they were generally united by common cultural and religious beliefs to a far greater extent than the inhabitants of the United States are today.

And you think public schools are gonna fix this?

You Said: What you are suggesting would divide and weakness us even further. And If you're suggesting that state National Guard units should refuse to follow Federal orders, then what you are suggesting is tantamount to civil war.

I have no idea where you got the NG disobeying orders thing, but it was not from me.

I speak English and three dialects of Chinese, so?

All I am saying is that A) the kid cannot be held responsible, he's six, handicapped, and not old enough to be responsible. B) Mainstreaming can be done wrong, or it can be done right. C) Adults, people who are and can be responsible should be making the choices to help all children as much as they can. D) it would be easier to do without Uncle Sam looking over our shoulder. Hard and fast, Zero Tolerance type rules will always be wrong for many of the people. I would rather have my town run my school with money I voluntarily give them, instead, we pay taxes to the County, State and Federal governments who then tell us if we will keep their rules and teach from their lesson plans, they will give some of our money to our schools administrator who will proceed to hold our kids hostage for a raise.

You seem to like this system, all I ask is don't drag me down into your private hell, OK? Cause I'm for lighter tax burdens, smaller government (including schools) and freer, more rugged americans.
495 posted on 09/25/2007 11:11:16 PM PDT by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: VxH
[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)


So let me get this straight, you have been all over this thread complaining that people are Stealing your "Reproductive Resources" when your kids wouldn't go to this school anyway.

Large S
496 posted on 09/25/2007 11:18:26 PM PDT by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: DelphiUser
Since there are people who seem to want to know, my kids are in bed, and i am going to go talk to my wife, and then go to bed.

BBL8R
497 posted on 09/25/2007 11:20:43 PM PDT by DelphiUser ("You can lead a man to knowledge, but you can't make him think")
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To: rodeo-mamma

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


498 posted on 09/26/2007 12:24:46 AM PDT by Have Ruck - Will Travel
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To: toldyou

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.


499 posted on 09/26/2007 2:19:07 AM PDT by Lovebloggers
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To: SALChamps03

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.


500 posted on 09/26/2007 2:24:40 AM PDT by Lovebloggers
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