Official bullying can't be stopped

April 4, 2009

Editor:

Lebanon Daily News

Updated: 04/03/2009 10:48:05 PM EDT

I am seeking help for a child in a local school. I have an autistic nephew who,

on more than one occasion, has been inappropriately disciplined in a physical

manner by his special-education teacher and school principal.

He has been grabbed by the collar and held against the wall (principal) for not

having work to do in detention (but he was never in detention before, so he

didn't know what to do); grabbed by the wrist, pulled out of his seat and yelled

at (special-education teacher); slapped on top of the hand for reaching to get a

book (teacher); and grabbed by the front of the shirt and pulled out of his seat

so that his feet were not touching the ground because he did not have his

classwork completed (principal).

This school is in violation of this child's Individualized Educational Plan,

which is against the law under No Child Left Behind policies, which have been

continuously ignored. In speaking with other parents of special-needs children

within the district, I find that my nephew is not the only child who the

district has violated in this manner. Many parents are seeking help but really

do not know where to turn.

My nephew is not a 17-year-old; he is a recently turned 12, 65-pound boy. After

the first incident, naturally the school was contacted as well as the state

police (by the child's mother), who told her that there was nothing the police

could do other than document the situation. When the mother spoke with the

principal face-to-face regarding the first incident she did inform him of her

conversation with the state police, and he vowed to her as well as to the child

he would never do this again and that he knew he was wrong for what he did. This

did not happen.

The biggest problem right now is that if a school official suspects a child is

being abused at home, the police do not hesitate to investigate the situation.

Why is there nothing that can be done when the situation is reversed, and why

are these people still permitted to be around children? Furthermore, security

measures have been heightened in that all the doors of the school are always

locked to keep bad people out, but the way I see it, the bad people are being

kept inside. Additionally, this school just adopted a " No Bullying " policy this

year. I guess it doesn't include teaching staff and their administrators.

Larry Achey Jr.

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