[gatagato]

Before outraged parents demanded it be taken down, and the principal banned from ever teaching children again.

• Principal suspended after it emerged an autistic boy was locked in a cage
• 10-year-old boy was forced into a 'withdrawal space' inside the classroom
• ACT Education Minister Joy Burch said words cannot describe the horror
• Issue raised after complaint was made to ACT Human Rights Commission
• The cage was in place for 14 days in March this year and used only once
• Shadow Education Minister Kate Ellis says incident 'deeply disturbing'

A Canberra school principal has been sacked for building a steel 'calm down' cage to house an autistic child.
The 10-year-old boy was locked in the two-metre blue powder coated cube, which was fitted with a self-closing latch and built for $5,195 using the school's funds, an independent inquiry has found.
The cage was in place for 14 days in March this year and was used to cage the child only once.
Neither the school, the principal nor the child have been identified.

ACT education minister Joy Burch said she was very disappointed by what an independent inquiry into the incident had turned up.
Ms Burch, who ordered an independent inquiry into the incident, said it was completely unacceptable that a decision was taken to build such a structure as a response to the student's behaviour.
['This decision was wrong and the officer responsible will no longer be a school principal or be working within a school,' she said in a statement.
'School principals must be held responsible for their actions.'

The inquiry found the decision to erect the structure was solely that of one individual and made without input, consultation or approval from inside the school or the ACT Education and Training Directorate.

The cage was constructed by an external builder on March 10 and dismantled on March 24.
It was intended as a calm-down and quiet space for the student. Staff placed the student in the cage on just one occasion.
The inquiry report said expert support, advice and assistance in case management were available to school principals.
The specialised behaviour support team routinely provided support to the school but was not involved in the decision to make the structure.
The inquiry concluded that officers within the directorate failed to act with sufficient urgency or alarm when alerted to the structure.
Ms Burch said that had been extremely frustrating.
'The length of time this has taken did not meet community expectations or my expectations as minister,' she said.

The principal has been removed from the school and two teachers with expertise in disability education have been assigned to the school.
Shadow Education Minister Kate Ellis said the mistreatment of students with a disability was 'shocking and deeply disturbing'.
'The abuse or neglect of students with disability is absolutely unacceptable,' Ms Ellis said.
'All students – including those with disability – deserve to be recognised as learners and supported to achieve their best,' she said.
'As a society, we have a responsibility to ensure our schools are safe and caring environments for all students, at all times.'
It was also revealed that the school only removed the cage when they were ordered to do so by the ACT Education Department after they received a complaint from the boy's parents.

The issue came to light after a complaint was made to the Children and Young People's Commissioner about the cage and the name of the school cannot be revealed due to privacy reasons.
ACT Education Directorate Director-General Diane Joseph said the 'confronting' structure was 'entirely inappropriate and unacceptable'.
'The space was basically a fenced-in structure inside a classroom,' Ms Joseph said.
'The structure was built for one particular student.
'The decision to erect such a structure raises so many questions. I have asked for the investigation to be treated with the upmost urgency.'
The horrific news comes as organisations and people come together to recognise World Autism Awareness Day.
The day is designed to raise awareness and much-needed funds through unique measures.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/arti...ren-again.html
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2015-09-0...leased/6758582

[deadcat1]

I was expecting to see a 3x5 sized cage. And that is quite expensive, must be union contractors lol

[Oswald2001]

Selfish parents dump their uncontrollable kid on a school unequipped to deal with a problem which is the parents' responsibility alone.

Then the irresponsible parents complain about the school while expecting the school to spend unlimited money and devote enormous time and other resources to taking care of the parent's responsibilities to their kid.

All at the expense of the many many other kids at that school who will now be cheated.

Force the parents to home school.

[Pyramid_Head]

Originally Posted by Oswald2001 ↗

Selfish parents dump their uncontrollable kid on a school unequipped to deal with a problem which is the parents' responsibility alone.

Then the irresponsible parents complain about the school while expecting the school to spend unlimited money and devote enormous time and other resources to taking care of the parent's responsibilities to their kid.

All at the expense of the many many other kids at that school who will now be cheated.

Force the parents to home school.

I'm sure the parents work and make money to support their kids and themselves. Home schooling is not an option for most people and they need to work to survive.

The teacher was in the wrong 100% and there is no excuse for putting a child in a cage.

[Morbid75]

If they were going to spend that much they could have done some research about autism. Since it was for this kid it sounds like his needs and place on the spectrum could have been considered. Temple Grandin has several papers about enclosed spaces that can calm autistic people. She made one for herself. This looks like jail.

[darkredspyder]

Not saying it was right for the kid to be put in there, but maybe they should have considered a teacher with expertise in disability education before now. Probably wouldn't have come to this then.

[Oswald2001]

A regular school is the WRONG PLACE for a kid with autism.

Let the parents take care of their own kid.

Are they unequipped to do so?

Well, so is the school.

But the kid is the parents' responsibility.

[CrunchyCripple]

What do you do with a kid that has autism and is having a meltdown - and is in a room with other people's children?

I've been around aggressive autism meltdowns, and they can easily be a danger to other children.

This is not the right place for their kid - which is kinda funny that the parents didn't fully check out the place before hand. If I had a special needs child, everyone would be grilled thoroughly, before my kid attended there.

[TheVrist]

Teach em young, when they're adults, and have a meltdown, they will see the same bars-

[rob666]

Originally Posted by TheVrist ↗

Teach em young, when they're adults, and have a meltdown, they will see the same bars-

Uh ....No.

Doesn't quite work that way with autistic children.