Aspies For Freedom

Suit claims autistic Capitol Middle child beaten

By ADRIAN ANGELETTE
Advocate staff writer
Published: Feb 8, 2006

The parents of an autistic child claim in a lawsuit that their son was repeatedly beaten with a belt and broom stick by a teacher’s aide during class at Capitol Middle School in November.

Carlos and Alicia Bailey claim they did not learn about their son being hit until 10 days after the Nov. 28 incident. They said one of their child’s weaknesses is he is unable to communicate verbally.

“Nobody found it necessary to call a parent?” Carlos Bailey said Tuesday. “Now it makes me wonder what went on before and that’s what bothers me the most.

“An autistic child can’t state his case,” Bailey said. “My son is defenseless, he’s non-violent and he doesn’t know why this happened to him.”

The lawsuit names the East Baton Rouge Parish School Board, Capitol Middle School Principal Katie Blunschi, and former teacher’s aide Anthony Ivey as defendants.

Blunschi’s secretary said the principal was in an all-day meeting Tuesday and unavailable for comment. Ivey could not be reached for comment.

School system attorney Damoine Rutledge said he could not comment on the specific allegations because he has not seen the lawsuit.

“We take very seriously all allegations which involve our students and employees,” Rutledge said.

Rutledge said Ivey no longer is working for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system.

In a Dec. 7 letter to Elizabeth Duran-Swinford, assistant superintendent for human resources, Blunschi recommended that Ivey not return to Capitol Middle School “under any circumstances.”

According to the lawsuit, Christopher Bailey’s teacher was not at school on Nov. 28 and a teacher’s aide, Ivey, was in charge of the small, four-person class.

Another adult in the classroom reported to Blunschi that Christopher Bailey was running and jumping in the classroom. Ivey hit the 14-year-old autistic student with the belt and broom stick in an attempt to make the boy stop.

Bailey’s parents said that is normal behavior for their child.

“He runs until it is out of his system and then he stops,” Alicia Bailey said.

Carlos Bailey said he has tried to find out more about what happened in the classroom on Nov. 28, but school officials have told him that they were advised by the system’s attorneys not to speak about it.

“I’m trying to figure out what the heck was going on,” the father said.

Alicia Bailey said a female aide has taken Ivey’s place and is working out fine.

Carlos Bailey said they filed the lawsuit partly to get more information about what happened. He said that in the past, his son has been put on the wrong school bus, been taught in a classroom the size of a broom closet, and even come home covered with scratches.

“It’s been a long-running battle,” Carlos Bailey said. “I’ve excused the other problems, but this one is inexcusable because he does not deserve this.”

Alicia Bailey said her son did not want to go back to school for two days after the incident.

The Bailey’s attorney, Aidan Reynolds, who also is the father of an autistic child, said children with autism are “perfect victims” because they can’t communicate a problem to their parents.

“No only are we going to make sure that Christopher is compensated for being brutalized, but we also want to make parents of autistic children aware that they are vulnerable in the system,” Reynolds said. “Parents need to remain vigilant and make sure their children are being handled the way they should be.”

The lawsuit seeks damages for Christopher Bailey’s physical and emotional pain and suffering.

Source:  http://www.2theadvocate.com/news/2275776.html

The Bailey’s attorney, Aidan Reynolds, who also is the father of an autistic child, said children with autism are “perfect victims” because they can’t communicate a problem to their parents.

“No only are we going to make sure that Christopher is compensated for being brutalized, but we also want to make parents of autistic children aware that they are vulnerable in the system,” Reynolds said. “Parents need to remain vigilant and make sure their children are being handled the way they should be.”

Sadly this hard to do, schools do not encourage openness, has anyone else ever tried to make a spontaneous visit to the school and requested to see their child in the classroom and been refused? That is my experience 99% of the time.

Anyone who reads back through AFF news postings can not fail to be appalled by the unending horror and misery inflicted on autistic children by adults employed to teach or care for them.

And for each case that comes to court, there must be a dozen which are dropped for one reason and another, and scores where the matter is hushed up, white-washed and papered over before a proper criminal investigation can begin. And thousands where the suffering goes on and on in mute silence in locked rooms, cages, and lightless cellars.

It is truly horrific to hear of the things that are being done to the innocent ones.  This is something I feel, as a community, we have to continue to cry out against through petitions, writing letters and emailing editors, school and local public officials and congressmen, until they begin to listen.  

I have a small section on one of my websites that speaks out against the abuse (and sadly the murder) of autistic children.  The research for it took less than an hour to locate...I was shocked at the many innocent lives that had been taken by heartless unfeeling monsters - how terrible to know that thousands more each day have to go through such horrors and no one knows because they are still existing in these desperate situations.....situations many of us cannot imagine even in our worst nightmares.

I don't ask for permission, I just go and observe if I want to.  I try not to let my daughter see me there, if I can avoid it.  When they said something to me about observing, I said I want to learn some new tricks from them.  I volunteer there also so I have an excuse to go.  I help run the laminating machine one morning a week and I help my daughter's teacher by running copies for her or whatever one morning a week.

Well they always have any meetings far from the classroom and I dont even know where it is to find it without permission.
I cannot volunteer at the school either, it is not in our village.

I thought corporal punishment was banned in schools. I also hope that this lawsuit succeeds as it is totally inappropriate to have people like that teaching any child, let alone an autistic child!

Amy, I take it there is no way to get your daughter into a school that is closer to where you live?