“Don’t Hit Your Head,” Teacher Allegedly Said to Student
That is allegedly what elementary school teacher Diana Z. O’Neill said to a student who has autism, seizure disorder and developmental delay and the abilities of a 15- to 24-month-old child, as reported by MSNBC. My own son has had a history of head-banging that is now under control and it’s all the more painful to hear about stories like this.
Two aides in O’Neill’s Venice (FL) classroom came forward with the allegations of abuse against four of the five students in the classroom. Regarding the autistic student:
Aides told police that O’Neill would wheel his chair into a corner when the boy acted up at lunch, leaving him there. The boy would respond by hitting his head on the wall and O’Neill would say, sarcastically, “Don’t hit your head,” but then allow him to continue.
Once in the corner of the cafeteria, out of sight of most people, O’Neill would twist the boy’s arm behind him or twist fingers until he cried out in pain, the aides said.
There is a chair the boy can be restrained in as an alternative way to control him, the aides said.
The boy has his own nurse with him at all times because of a seizure disorder, but O’Neill would not allow the nurse in the classroom because she said he is a distraction to learning, the aides said.
O’Neill turned herself into the Venice Police Department on Thursday and is charged with four counts of aggravated child abuse.
Tags: asd, asperger, autism, crime. abuse, Parenting, pdd-nos, school, student, teacher
10 opinions for “Don’t Hit Your Head,” Teacher Allegedly Said to Student
Karen
Feb 22, 2008 at 11:45 pm
That seriously makes me want to throw up.
Regan
Feb 23, 2008 at 12:12 am
“A Venice Elementary School teacher accused of abusing severely disabled students made her first appearance in court this afternoon, saying she was using accepted teaching techniques, not torturing her students…
In court, O’Neill’s attorney, Catherine Sloan, said that her clients’ aides are not properly trained in handling and teaching special needs students, and mistook some of O’Neill’s actions as child abuse…”
Teacher defends actions
http://www.heraldtribune.com/article/20080222/BREAKING04/799927643
Probable cause affidavit
http://www.tampabays10.com/images/pdfs/school-abuse-affidavit.pdf
David N. Andrews M. Ed. (Distinction)
Feb 23, 2008 at 1:06 am
Boaking already.
Casdok
Feb 23, 2008 at 3:46 am
Shocking. I am so glad the aides came forward.
madam ovary
Feb 23, 2008 at 11:25 am
It is a very good lesson for parents on the importance of getting to know their children’s classroom aides, bus aides, “floaters” etc. These are the people your kid has the most contact with. They can be your eyes and ears in the school if they trust you as a caring, reasonable parent.
Ballastexistenz
Feb 23, 2008 at 1:42 pm
I’m glad someone’s doing something.
I’ve seen this sort of thing a lot.
It’s awful.
I’ve tried to get others with more power than me to report it.
One of them quit his job rather than report it.
Karen
Feb 23, 2008 at 3:14 pm
I think that classroom aides can just feel powerless, depending on their situation. I’m not justifying anybody not reporting abuse, but when you think you have no voice and no one will believe you, you just might want to keep a record for a while of what’s going on so you have a better chance of someone listening.
I’m really lucky that Pete’s aides are trained to assist their student population. They are part of the teaching team in the classroom. I’m also lucky that Pete has the communication skills to tell me what’s going on in his life so I can have some ‘checks and balances’ system going.
I just can’t stop thinking about this story.
Club 166
Feb 23, 2008 at 8:10 pm
Perhaps this teacher is just at the wrong school. She would fit right in at the Judge Rottenberg Center.
Joe
David N. Andrews M. Ed. (Distinction)
Mar 1, 2008 at 6:53 pm
“Aides told police that O’Neill would wheel his chair into a corner when the boy acted up at lunch, leaving him there. The boy would respond by hitting his head on the wall and O’Neill would say, sarcastically, ‘Don’t hit your head,’ but then allow him to continue.”
Um. Okay. Wrong on so many levels that it is hard to know where to start.
“Once in the corner of the cafeteria, out of sight of most people, O’Neill would twist the boy’s arm behind him or twist fingers until he cried out in pain, the aides said.”
Oh, boy! Anybody ever does that to my child, I think the first thing that I’d do is phone the police and then tell the perpetrator that the police will get them… if I let them.
“There is a chair the boy can be restrained in as an alternative way to control him, the aides said.”
Not that this should ever be needed….
“The boy has his own nurse with him at all times because of a seizure disorder, but O’Neill would not allow the nurse in the classroom because she said he is a distraction to learning, the aides said.”
That - in England and Wales would fall foul of CYPA 1933.
Anybody hear nee-naw-nee-naw?!
Would have been good if that was the way this kid’s torture ended.
Regan
Nov 1, 2008 at 7:04 am
A related story on a request from parents to have video camera installed in sped classrooms. I couldn’t find a story on whether they were able to have the cameras placed. I thought the explanation for why video in schools is inappropriate to be *interesting*, because cameras can also be a protection to everyone involved.
Parents want cameras in special-ed classes
Sunday, March 2, 2008
HeraldTribune.com
“…Parents say that since disabled students are more vulnerable, require more physical contact during the school day and often can not speak for themselves, the schools need to add this layer of accountability.
“Every time you put your children on the bus you just have to trust that the people at school are going to take care of them,” said Sharon Boyd, a Charlotte parent and member of the Autism Speaks advocacy group. “That doesn’t always happen.”
In the past decade, security cameras have become commonplace in schools, with most having high-tech systems of dozens of cameras that monitor nearly every stretch of campus. Administrators can monitor the cameras via the Internet.
Cameras are also being installed more often on school buses, where drivers cannot see everything that goes on in the back.
But the classroom is one place that continues to stay out of the camera’s eye.
School administrators say that is largely because of objections from unions, which argue that teachers’ should have the freedom to do their jobs without being monitored…
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