AIBU to be really disgusted at this teacher in the news?

[user1477282676]

www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3944882/Nutter-Fort-Primary-School-teacher-snatches-microphone-autistic-boy.html

It's a DM link sorry....this teacher in a US primary school....she SNATCHED the microphone from a little boy who has Autism right before he said his line.

:(

It's made me really sad...it seems that some people have not moved past the 1970s in attitudes and think squashing children emotionally is "ok"

Some comments have said "she thought the play was over" and that the child had other lines in the play.

SO??? His face is devastating! He was really distressed! I'm inexplicably angry over this...a child so far away and yet he could be any child who has Autism....it's not ok!

People with disabilities are entitled to as far as is reasonably possible the same access to services as those without disabilities. This sometimes requires reasonable adjustment (or the cutting of some slack as you put it.)

Seems to me that when you look in to it, the school and teachers made lots of reasonable adjustments to let this child be in the play, have lines, change his costume, not pull him out for 'behaviour' and 'cut him some slack' by allowing him to wander.

Seems that the school was always going to be in the wrong in the parents eyes.

As people have said, reasonable adjustments were made by allowing him to perform when he didn't attend any rehearsals. Reasonable adjustments were made by allowing him to pull the costume over his head and wander around etc.

The only unreasonable part of this is his parents' reaction.

I've signed the petition supporting the teacher, thanks for sharing it here.

openletters77.wordpress.com/2016/11/18/dear-mrs-lindsey/

This is well said.

Objectively, this didn't have to be intentional at all. An oversight. If the parents tried to sort it out like adults instead of resorting to another social media witch hunt, they'd be giving a much better example of how people should solve their misunderstandings. Instead, half of the world is fuming with righteous fury and screams off with her head.

I read more details and I feel sorry for the boy now. There's compassion and making it possible for children with disabilities which cause behavioural issues to be a part of normal life. There's making them feel like they are entitled to everything and everybody should bend backwards because of that. I think his parents are enabling the boy for some rude awakening in a near future.

My comment about reasonable adjustment was in response to Coolcarrie's general comment about not having it both ways as it showed a misunderstanding of equality law.

He was more than reasonably accomadated. He shouldn't have been allowed to take part because he didn't attention any rehearsals. Also according to some of the other parents he was putting the other children off because of his aimless wandering around the stage, and in one case even trying to say the lines of another child.

At first I was upset when I heard about this because I have Aspergers and it brought back bad memories of being picked on and excluded from activities at school by some teachers as well as other students. But reading the thread has helped me realise this case may have been a misunderstanding rather than the teacher being mean. It's a shame the little boy was upset but that wasn't her intent if she simply took the microphone away because the play was over and he'd had his turn. He wasn't prevented from saying his scripted lines as some people have represented. This issue should be resolved in a discussion between the parents and the school, not in the media or on social media with people who don't know the situation getting involved and calling for the teacher to be fired. The family being excessively upset about this won't help the child, who needs stability and calm.

Poor teacher.

I hope the parents git sued for slander.

Any reasonable, decent person would take issue with the school, not post on social media.

For what it's worth the teacher looked like she was trying to save the play from total domination by Caleb. Maybe he had already stolen the limelight the whole way through, maybe he had ruined the performance already and she wasn't going to let him have the last word. Maybe the parents had already bullied her into allowing him to perform in the way he did, instead of be able to support him to take part in way which was more suitable. There is laughter form other parents when she takes the mic, this must be for a reason, there is obviously background to this clip we aren't aware of.

I see the lady in question has deleted or disactivated her FB page, probably because people have started to question her account and are getting shirty on her page...?

Live by the sword, die by the sword.

Mary

The mother's page is still there but she's deleted all the video clips, pictures and pitchfork-waving comments designed to stir people up.

I hope that's because she's feeling the backlash and/or legal ation is being taken against her.

Someone has posted this on her page though:

Karla Ka Franco
Did you know his mother did not return the permision slip.
Never brought him to rehearsals
Show 30 minutes early with a Scooby-Doo costume.
Ask to be part of the play.
Teacher let him be on the play even when he hadn't reharsal.
Put him on a singing part.
THE BOY keep going to the mic at random times, saying random words, making all the other kids messing up their parts because he keep interrupting.
THE MOTHER is not helping.
He didn't have a line at the end
THE MOTHER ENCOURAGE THE KID TO ACT LIKE A TURKEY.
The play is done she tskes the mic, away and ACTUALLY EXPLAINS TO THIS KID WHY SHE TOOK IT KID IS NOT CRIYING.

MOTHER CUTS THAT AND MORE OF THE VIDEO SO IT FITS HER AGENDA

So the 'Dads Network' (UK based page) on fb has just re-started the pitchfork waving by sharing this news story... This poor teacher will never escape this.

Finally the petition supporting the teacher has gone viral.

Last time I looked it had a couple of hundred signatures, now it's 8,547 and rapidly rising

www.standunited.org/petition/peace-support-and-love-for-mrs-lindsey

Good. I hope that she gets plenty of support, and I hope that the school also supported her. Some of the vitriol that was being spewed at her and about her was actually frightening.

shortlittlerebel.wordpress.com/2016/11/22/calebs-mother-lied-about-nutter-fort-teacher/

^ It's a bit 'God Squad' but a good article

It's got all the needed signatures!

For what it's worth the teacher looked like she was trying to save the play from total domination by Caleb. Maybe he had already stolen the limelight the whole way through, maybe he had ruined the performance already and she wasn't going to let him have the last word. Maybe the parents had already bullied her into allowing him to perform in the way he did, instead of be able to support him to take part in way which was more suitable. There is laughter form other parents when she takes the mic, this must be for a reason, there is obviously background to this clip we aren't aware of.

Even if all that were true (and we have no idea if it is or not), it didn't have to be handled that way.

Also..."maybe he had already stolen the limelight" and "ruined the performance". Let's not forget this is a 6 year old boy with autism.

9,076 signatures now

Hope the teacher sues the utter fuck out of the mother.

Apparently she's raking in Christmas gifts for Caleb now. Who'd have thought it ...

Potato

Nobody on here is slagging off the 6 year old with autism. Comments are being made about his mother and the way she ran to social media, started a witch hunt and set up a PO Box for gifts and cards.

Plenty of parents at the school have spoken up to say what happened because, you know, they were actually there at the performance.

I don't see why they would all decide to lie about what happened.

I made the mistake of saying what I thought on a FB group the other day, and because I don't think the teacher did anything wrong, I am apparently a rape apologist and a child abuser supporter.

VoodooPeople

I quoted another poster who was saying a 6 year old boy with autism had probably "stolen the limelight" and "ruined the performance". I personally think that's very harsh given the fact he is a very young boy with a learning disability. That was all my post was referring to.

I'm fully aware of the story and the issues surrounding it. I don't think the teacher should lose her job, nor be the victim of an online witch hunt. That achieves nothing and I personally hate the hysteria on both sides.

Well according to some of the parents Caleb was distracting some of the other children on the stage and putting them off saying their lines.

Also, you can see him in the footage just wandering around the stage. He obviously couldn't cope with the whole thing, and should not have been allowed to take part, particularly as he hadn't attended any of the rehearsals. Poor poor teacher. I hope she gets the support she needs

The mother is utterly obnoxious. I hope she gets her comeuppance!

Voodoopeople - That article contains a nasty little dig at parents of disabled children and a lack of understanding of equality as regards to disability so I wouldn't see it as a good article.

I think he absolutely should have been able to contribute. But with support. The kids with additional needs at DD's school are always involved. I'm sure he was distracting and annoying others. As would any child with no rehearsal, told to just do whatever they like.

The teachers decided to include him without rehearsal (possibly because they felt he shouldn't be punished for his parents' lack of forethought). No good deed goes unpunished.