P.S. I know the article makes it seem like he ‘intentionally’ hit someone. Especially because they said they punished him for bad behavior. But I think the behavior is that he keeps waving around the stick.
After all, he could hit just as many people with the noodle as he could the walking stick, if he was intentionally striking other children. So giving him the noodle would not seem to solve anything in that case.
Anyway, that’s my opinion.
Hitting someone by accident or on purpose call for different responses, of course. If he is fidgety, hitting those in close proximity, a fold up cane is an excellent idea.
Better yet, taking advantage of local resources which could teach him how to properly use a cane and other tools, would be better. I hope his parents have explored this.
Got sidetracked—forgot to add, my main point was the noodle. The behavior was secondary.
Expecting a noodle to serve the same purpose as a cane is an expectation based on ignorance. It tells me the teachers, bus drivers, admin, etc need to educate themselves.