"The mother of a teenager with autism who disappeared from his school in Queens last fall and whose remains were found in January had warned a teacher that he needed to be watched at all times because he “likes to run” and would leave the building."
But the note the mother wrote about her son, Avonte Oquendo, was never shared with administrators, according to a report released on Thursday by the independent investigator for the New York City school system.On hindsight, a note seems like an insufficiently expressive way to communicate the extra concerns a special needs student could, given the amount of time the child would be under the school's care.
On Oct. 4, the day Vanessa Fontaine’s 14-year-old son did what she most feared he would do, a security guard saw him running in a hallway and yelled out, “Excuse me!” Avonte, who was mute, did not respond. Another student approached the guard and hugged her, distracting her.I suppose one should not be expected to turn down a hug.
Around 12:37 p.m., the same guard noticed an unguarded exit door was open — someone had left it that way around noon — and closed it. A review of video later showed that Avonte had gone through it a few minutes earlier.Tragic. The story goes on to say the mother plans to sue the city. If you were on the jury what would you consider and or recommend?
The series of errors and oversights were laid out in a 12-page report by the special commissioner of investigation for the school system. Its findings, on just how a vulnerable teenager could leave a school building undetected, vanish and die, have been sent on to the schools chancellor and the Queens district attorney, said Richard J. Condon, the investigation commissioner. read more
26 comments:
I must get to work so this is sloppy writing as per usual from me. Sadly, out public schools are not equipped with the resources to handle special needs kids and the increase in children with autism.
I have 2 nephews who are at opposite ends of the spectrum. One is a genius (just awarded a National Merit Scholarship,) the other has autism. He is non-verbal and the twerp is a little escape artist. He escaped the public school more than once and at one point ended up in someone's house.
We pulled him out of the public school (they are mostly uncaring a-holes btw) (I won't even mention the lawsuit on our end, because it involves other issues)
A few years ago at Christmas dinner, he escaped the house, and we later found him down the street playing on the railroad tracks. You've never seen a group of adults scatter like that. Lucky someone called the police and within 10 minutes the kid was riding in a squad car back to the house. We laugh about it now, but those 10 minutes were the verge of a heart attack.
A common thread in the behavior of autistic children is that they like to flee. And they are fast. One second you see them, the next they are gone. The answer? I wish I knew. It's not the school's fault the child is autistic. That said, the school should at the very minimum make sure the child cannot escape. Sadly, these children are warehoused in these classrooms and they end up as a disruption to the other children.
Answers?
Again, our public schools can barely teach "normal" kids. These schools and the staff and teachers are not equipped to handle children who have the instinct to run out of the door and disappear.
I think his name was a misspelling of avanti.
Sorry for their loss, but no worries, Avonte will be a reliable democrat vote for decades to come.
Looking for money in this tragedy is another tragedy. Agreed.
(btw - our lawsuit is the opposite, we are attempting to attain what amounts to a voucher so we can afford to send the child to an appropriate school.) Government run schools are not equipped to handle these kids. The increase in autism is starting.
That said, if the public schools insist they CAN care for kids with autism, they better do more to make sure these kids cannot escape. Escaping is what they do for a living.
starting = startling
I blame the parent. Sounds harsh? It is mind boggling negligence to entrust the welfare of your child to the ministrations of the state.
Most parents have no other choice but the public school system. Private schools for children with autism are big $$$ and they are often full with wait lists or non-existent.
Home school.
It's not realistic or even fair to expect a public school to prevent a kid from escaping. It's not a prison. That's not what they are designed for. Such a child is the parents' responsibility unless they give them to someone qualified, able and willing to take that responsibility. The school is none of those.
Parents' fault, period.
Although, I hold the parents responsible if anyone is, I still think it simply an accident. Lots of kids run away, and I assume this one did many times before too, but it's very rare for that to turn into a disaster. This happens to normal kids too.
At some point while my kids were in school, each year the school would send home a paper with a list of questions, such as what does your child prefer to be called, what area do you consider your child's strengths, is there anything we should know about your child. It's amazing that a NYC borough wouldn't have something like that.
There are different types of autism. My cousin's boy is the dreamy type. It's like he walks around trapped between two worlds. He can communicate rudimentarily, thanks to his stellar mom, who is a personal hero of mine. He's sweet and gentle. He's about 21, and has attended a special school for a long time.
The Queens case is a statistical occurrence and was bound to happen some time somewhere. He should at the very least have been assessed for the possibility of being a flight risk, and kept in a locked classroom until determined. The mother sending or not sending a note is immaterial. She will be awarded money, as everyone is in these sorts of tragedies.
I cannot imagine my sister in law home-schooling her kid. He is a 100% handful. It would not be anything like home-schooling a regular child. My nephew goes to a special private school for children with autism with people who are trained to deal with autism. While I wish my sister-in- law would take a more pro-active approach and teach herself the skills needed to actually work with autistic children on that level, I doubt it would matter. Autistic children respond differently w/ their own parents. It would be exhausting and take the patience of a saint. Parents w/ autistic children need respite. Unless the child is asleep- autistic children require constant supervision.
@ Deborah
There are different types of autism. My cousin's boy is the dreamy type. It's like he walks around trapped between two worlds. He can communicate rudimentarily, thanks to his stellar mom, who is a personal hero of mine. He's sweet and gentle. He's about 21, and has attended a special school for a long time.
I hope my nephew remains sweet. He's heading toward puberty and we are bracing ourselves.
A women in our community stared "Imagine" after her son with autism hit puberty, he became somewhat violent.
Queens is corrupt. The school system there is one of the worst in the nation. These are not normal people we are talking about here.
Autistic children flee and escape and it is nothing like a normal child who might make the conscious decision to run away. Apples and oranges.
That said, certainly bad things can happen in either situation-- and assuredly there must be instances of children who run away from school on purpose and get themselves injured or worse. Autistic children are a known flight risk. They don't run on purpose, they just do it. As I said, it's what they do.
Would be nice if our own tax dollars would follow our own children around. The need to escape certain poorly run government schools is universal.
“Someone has to pay for this mistake,” Ms. Fontaine (the deceased student's mother) said at a news conference.
"Someone has to pay" is not the same as "I want to make sure that this never happens to anyone elses' son or daughter". And it's not the same as "I hope the police find whoever killed my son".
Dealing with kids who have moderate to severe autism is a very, very difficult situation, as April has attested. In the HS where Mrs. Haz taught for four decades, parents insisted that their autistic kids be mainstreamed - included in classes with non-autistic students - not so much for the benefit of the autistic kids, but so the parents could "feel good" about their kids.
This happens in most public schools, and the severely autistic kids are put into an environments where they cannot receive necessary supervision. I can tell you stories of parents making screaming demands that their autistic kids are placed in AP classes which they totally could not comprehend, just so the parents could say "my kid is taking an AP class."
Kids who have disabilities belong in a school environment specifically designed to address their needs, and not in a "let's pretend my kid is normal" environment from which they can easily escape.
This is what lunatic asylum are for.
What too harsh?
Some problems don't have good solutions.
I spent some time as a substitute teacher in a Boston public school back in the 1980s. Hellish experience, couldn't relax for one second. In the best of circumstances, teaching is one tough job. Then add the behavioral stuff and just imagine what it's like. Anyway, even with their screw-ups over this, I've got some sympathy for what those administrators and teachers go through each day.
April, yes, so far so good on the violence. He's not a flee-er, but occasionally a drifter.
My cousin's screen door doesn't always shut all the way, and when the dog is leashed and ready to go out, he will not push the door open if C is holding the leash, but will for others holding the leash.
Thank you, Haz. Your wife has seen it with her own eyes.
My family is taking responsibility for my nephew. The public school system failed him all while they (they!) proclaimed and insisted they could take care of his needs.
The reason public schools insist they can take care of autistic children is all about the per-pupil money game. School districts are broke (you know - the Teacher's Union absorbs billions of dollars and the democrat party money-power extension of that exists. Too many of our government schools are broke and broken. Tax payers are tapped out and reforms are slow and blocked by the status quo power brokers.)
Children with mild autism can probably be mainstreamed in some cases. Moderate to extreme autism? No way. They need special care by professionals who are trained to deal with them. Or yes – a parent with the dedication of a saint to home school. (not easy – imo) Haz – these parents you talk about who want to mainstream severe autism -- they are delusional.
There are many wonderful teachers out there who do a good job teaching but even they are not qualified with the resources to deal with autistic children. It's not fair to the other children or the teachers.
I also want to add, because I am always down on poorly run government run schools, – that there are some good schools out there. Of course. Sadly they often only exist in wealthier areas. What is truly needed in this country is educational reform that will help lower income communities escape failing government schools. The autism problem is a growing problem and the answers will not come easy, quickly or inexpensively. There is a huge market and demand for schools that cater to children with autism, and they do a much better job with the issue than our already burdened public schools.
Trooper- the problem with lunatic asylums is that they are cruel cold places. You'd have to be a heatless parent to agree to ship your own kid off to one of those.
Deborah - what a great dog.
So what happens to the safety concerns when you lock down a fleeing kid?
We're I on the jury I wouldn't hold the school responsible.
If you were on the jury what would you consider and or recommend?
Based on what I've read, I don't see why the school should be held liable.
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