Sandra Baker claimed to have not received an apology from the school after his son put in a backpack as a punishment for his autism. The mother of a 9-year-old autistic child is demanding that the teacher is responsible for this incident to be dismissed and called for similar practices do not recur.
Sandra Baker, a resident of Harrodsburg, Kentucky said that his son Christopher, withdrawn and uncommunicative since suffering an incident at the Mercer County High School two weeks ago.
Baker was summoned to the school on December 14, 2011 by a school official who said that his son had a tantrum. He was surprised to find her son was in the bag.
"I can not describe my feelings when he saw it. It bothers me to see a big green bag was in the hallway outside the classroom. I thought, 'no'. I was very surprised, I freeze and close to the wall," Baker said .
When I heard Baker speak with school officials, the children shouted.
"He said, 'Mom, is that you? I told him to get out of the bag now. He was sweating, his eyes widened. All he could do was look at me. He looked scared and did not speak. I was shocked and angry," said Baker.
He was very disturbed when a teacher tries to prevent his son out of the bag, but Baker tried to set him free. At the next meeting with the special education director and principal, when he was told that Christopher was carrying the ball. When instructed to put it, he instead threw it across the room.
"He did not hurt anyone or himself. I ask, why did you put him in a bag? He said it was for therapy. Special education director told me that the way it is also used for other children," said Baker.
This case has sparked a campaign to condemn the incident as harassment. More than 18,000 people have signed an online petition to the board of education in Kentucky and called on teachers who are responsible for being fired, or at least properly trained on specific intervention techniques in educating students with disabilities.
The petition highlighted the lack of training among educators in dealing with students who have autism and other disabilities. In Alabama, a 14-year-old autistic girl, Emily Halcombe, was accused of committing a crime for hitting his teacher. The charges were later dropped after a similar petition.
Christopher Baker case also attracted attention because of the lack of legislation prohibiting the use of confinement or quarantine in a public school. Kentucky is one state that has no legislation to prohibit the use of methods of confinement or quarantine in a public school.
In a statement, Dennis Davis, supervisor of the board of education, said that the matter was being reviewed by the school and are being handled according to school district policy and the appropriate state and federal laws.
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