For a student who has autism spectrum disorder, going to school and being included with their peers can require special accommodations to help them learn.
While most teachers work with parents to meet these students’ needs, one mom was shocked to discover her son’s desk had been moved to a school bathroom.
Advocates of students with autism spectrum disorder have successfully implemented new policies at schools to help these students.
Teachers and educators are better equipped to teach children on the spectrum and can customize lessons to suit their learning styles.
For students who have ASD, in some cases they require accomodations to help them focus in class.
These students can become overstimulated by bright lights or loud noises, and might need a quiet workspace to learn and concentrate.
However, one mom is speaking out over the “inhumane suggestion” one teacher made for her son who has autism.
Danielle Goodwin shared a shocking photo of her 11-year-old son, Lucas, and his teacher’s solution to provide him with a quiet workspace.
Lucas had been having some challenges transitioning from elementary school to middle school.
So, Danielle discussed creating a quiet workspace with his teachers and it seemed like everyone was on the same page. However, the teacher’s solution was hardly what Danielle had in mind.
Lucas’ teacher moved his desk into a school bathroom and instructed him to work there.
“Yes, that is my son’s desk over a toilet. She also provided a camping mat and pillow for him to nap….on the bathroom floor,” Danielle said in a Facebook post that accompanied the photo of Lucas standing next to his desk in the bathroom.
Danielle went on to explain that Lucas also has an autoimmune disorder.
Lucas’ teacher assured Danielle that the bathroom was sanitary to use as a workspace because the school doesn’t “use it as a bathroom” anymore and it was being used as a storage room.
Danielle requested that Lucas be allowed to work in the library instead, but was turned down.
She took Lucas home and said the incident caused him so much anxiety that he began vomiting.
Danielle shared her story in a Facebook post which garnered attention from news and media outlets.
In an official statement, the school district’s Superintendent Greg Baker confirmed that Lucas’ teacher had repurposed the bathroom into a workspace due to financial and spatial restrictions in the school.
The superintendent also confirmed that the room had not been used as a bathroom recently.
“This current situation is an example of staff trying to seek a solution to temporarily repurpose a room. To our knowledge, the room had been used as storage, not as an active restroom,” he said in a statement to Yahoo! .
Due to the backlash, the superintendent said they would not continue using the bathroom as a workspace for Lucas.
Lucas has not returned to school since the incident happened on September 16 and Danielle plans on keeping him home until they can find a better solution.
Many parents who also have children on the spectrum have shared in Danielle’s outrage.
Her post has racked up thousands of comments on Facebook, with many parents agreeing with her that placing Lucas’ desk in the bathroom was undignified.
Some parents shared how their school provides accommodations for their autistic child.
This mom revealed that her daughter has her own “office,” which is really just an unused room in the school, to work in.
Individuals who are on the spectrum also responded to Danielle and Lucas’ story.
This Facebook user who also needs a quiet room to concentrate called the school’s bathroom solution “insulting” and “revolting.”
Others encouraged Lucas not to be disheartened by this situation.
This Facebook user who has autism shared his inspirational story and encouraged Lucas to work past this stressful situation.
