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Child with Autism facing possible discrimination by Monroe School

AGXStarseed

Well-Known Member
(Not written by me)


MONROE - Kristen Owen says from day one, officials at Lexington Elementary School seemed reluctant to teach her son Levi who has Autism. She says when she went to enroll him, this is what they said, "I'm sorry we don't have a place for him due to him being Autistic, you'll have to find somewhere else for him to go."

She says it took a trip to the Monroe City School Board to finally get him in the school but immediately there were issues. "The second week he was suspended, he was in the cafeteria and he had a meltdown and I got a phone call, you need to come get him, he's acting out," said Owen.

Owen says for weeks she got calls from the principal saying her son needed to be picked up because he was acting out. Most recently the principal told her she had called Child Protective Services on Owen because Levi looked blue and his face was pale. Owen says Levi had just gotten into some markers so she washed it off and sent him to school. However, Owen says the principal said she had no choice and she had to report it to Child Protective Services. "I was very upset to the point of tears, I started crying," says Owen.

NBC 10 reached out to the principal of Lexington Elementary School they did not comment. We also reached out to the Monroe City School Board and School Superintendent Brent Vidrine about whether or not there is training for teachers and administrators when dealing with special needs students; they said "As a district we must adhere to privacy laws of the students. Lexington followed all state law in mandated reporting in notifying the Child Protective Services. Again as a district we follow state laws and at this time we believe we acted in the best interest of our district and the student."

We asked again about training for special needs children and Vidrine referred again to policy about reporting abuse and did not address our specific questions.

Owen says because of the way she was treated she removed Levi from Lexington Elementary. She says no child should be mistreated because they have Autism. "These kids are human beings, and they have feelings, and they also have needs and not all of them have learning disabilities."


Source (with video): Child with Autism facing possible discrimination by Monroe School
 

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