My concern is more with the school at which Avonte was a student. How could this have happened and how could it have been prevented? The special school that Avonte attended was part of another regular middle school. The school did not house just special education students. Avonte’s brother had met with a Manhattan civil rights attorney who specialized in special education litigation. Gary Mayerson, the attorney, outlined three layers of protection that should have been followed:
·
First is the IEP. Mayerson stated that a student who is non-verbal, as is Avonte,
and a student who is a known wanderer and who has been found in subway tunnels
in the past, should have had goals and objectives on his IEP to deal with that
issue. Instead Avonte was in a
classroom with one teacher, one aide and six students.
·
Avonte’s IEP should have had a behavior
intervention plan that would tell the teachers what to do if he began to wander.
·
There
should have been better security measures in place in the school that Avonte
attended. It is suggested that there
should have been specific protocols in place for when people/students left the
building and those reason for leaving needed to be stated.
Do
you think that the school administration was negligent in this case? What better security measures should the
school have implemented knowing that there were special education children within
in the building? Do you agree with the
attorney in this case and why? 
This is a heart-wrenching situation that, in my opinion, could have been prevented. I think that the school administration was negligent in this case and I agree with the attorney. There are several security measures that could have been implemented. One security measure that I have seen in the school I am currently observing in is that when the door is opened to leave the building, it sends a beeping notification to the main office. Another security measure could be some form of hallway patrol or cameras by all the exits. These measures would keep track of who is coming and going from the building and would alert the main office if a student is leaving without permission. I also think that since Avonte is unable to speak and is known for wandering, he should have had an aid with him whenever he left the classroom in order to prevent this situation.
ReplyDeleteI also agree completely with the lawyer on the three layers of protection that he outlined. These layers are all extremely important in keeping children safe, especially Avonte. His IEP should have included a behavior intervention plan that addressed his wandering and that addressed protocols his teachers should know to prevent him from wandering. Teachers could have shown a video on the dangers of wandering as a way to explain to Avonte that it is not safe. A behavior intervention plan should have included visuals and maybe a reward system to teach him not to wander without an adult. I have also observed an autistic student who had an aid just for him because he had behavior issues. If the school could have afforded an aid for Avonte, I think he would have benefitted in safety terms until he had grasped the complete understanding of the dangers of wandering.
I agree with the attorney in this case because they are all measures the school should have taken to prevent Avonte from going missing. His three layers of protection all address Avonte's wandering and involves creating ways the school should prevented it. I feel that the school was negligent in this case because they knew he has a tendency to wander and that he is unable to speak so the three layers of protection should have been common sense to implement.
Do you think that the school administration was negligent in this case?
ReplyDeleteI agree with Nicole for saying that this is such an incredibly heart-wrenching, difficult to answer kind of question. I do think there was most certainly some type of negligence involved at some point of this boy's story. However, I don't think the negligence can be blamed on just one party. Perhaps the student's parents were negligent for not instilling a sense of fear and knowing in their child about the dangers of wondering off alone. Perhaps the teachers were negligent for taking their eyes off of the student and allowing him to escape and wonder away. Perhaps the school administration was negligent because they failed to provide the student's teachers with the support they needed in order to appropriately care for the children. Perhaps the world is responsible for possibly hurting this innocent boy and not helping him return home.
It is hard to say; when a tragedy like this happens it seems to be apart of our nature as a society to point fingers. However, finding the correct person to blame will not resolve anything. All we can do is think of appropriate measures to implement so that this never happens again.
What better security measures should the school have implemented knowing that there were special education children within in the building?
One idea is to have a security guard at each door. A guard would be able to not only prevent special needs students from wondering off, but also prevent predators from entering the building. If having a security guard at each door is not an option because it is too expensive, perhaps districts could have retired professionals from the town who are looking to volunteer (former cops, teachers, firemen, etc.) sit at the school entrances to make sure no one leaves, or to alert official and law enforcement immediately in case there is a situation where a student wonders off of school grounds.
Do you agree with the attorney in this case and why?
I do agree with the attorney. I think the strongest point that he made was about the IEP. An IEP needs to address way more than academic issues. Like the attorney said, the students IEP, since it was know that the student wonders away and is non verbal, should have included strategies to improve upon those issues. His safety should have been a key feature of the behavioral plan in his IEP.
I think that the school administration was negligent in this case. Knowing that they had a student who liked to wander and was non-verbal that they were responsible for, yet nothing was done to heighten security around the school. The school needed to have better arrangements for Avonte to make sure that he was safe while in the schools care. From what we know about Avonte and what he was receiving from the school, to me, they were not keeping a close enough eye on him. Personally, it seems like the school does not have a high enough security system for any of the students, let alone a special education student like Avonte. I agree with the attorney in this case. Avonte should have had more support in school, which could have been done through his IEP. With the characteristics he has, he should have had one on one support at all times throughout the day, including when he left the classroom since he liked to wonder. I agree with what Kim said, his safety should have been taken into consideration more in his IEP. The school is at fault for not helping or giving the support to Avonte that he needed.
ReplyDeleteNicole,
ReplyDeleteNo matter how you observe this incident, the school district and teachers are responsible in this case. After any student gets on a school bus or is dropped off at the school, the school district is responsible for the well-being of each of those students. This is an unfortunate situation; I think the students’ teachers and the school district, as a whole, were negligent. I agree with the attorneys three layers of protection for the student. I think the one layer of protection which was the most vital for the student’s protection was, “There should have been better security measures in place in the school that Avonte attended. It is suggested that there should have been specific protocols in place for when people/students left the building and those reason for leaving needed to be stated.” The fact that this school lost track of student and no one noticed right away, is absurd. I am not fully aware of the circumstances surrounding this incident, but from what I am understanding from Nicole’s response, is that this student walked out of the school? If Avonte wandered right out of the school, the school district should be ashamed of themselves! Every school that I have ever attended, whether I was a student or teacher, had a front office that took care of all those who entered and left the school. If this child left the school and there was a front office and teachers who were in charge of keeping students attendance, I have to say that the school is the one to blame, there is no doubt. The ratio also seems a little off. A child who is nonverbal, should have an aid with a ratio of one to one. I have observed a child who uses an Ipad to communicate because he is non-verbal and high functional autistic as well. This student had an aid with a one to one ratio. The teachers and school district failed this student and his family. School is a place where students are always being watched and should be safe!
Christina Calvitto
ReplyDeleteDo you think that the school administration was negligent in this case?
Yes I do believe the school was negligent in this case. The boy is autistic and non verbal and was known for wandering. Therefore, there should have been better attention kept on this child if he left the classroom. The school had a security guard that watched him leave the building making the security guard at fault. He should have immediately ran after him. Instead, they didn't notify his parents until an hour later.
There should have been plenty more security measures taken in this situation. This is a situation that could have been completely avoided if the school administration had higher involvement with the children. By that I mean there should have been in an aide assit Avonte whenever he leaves the classroom. Also, if there is an aide for Avonte, where was he/she when Avonte walked off?
ReplyDeleteAt the Center for Autism and Applied Behavior Analysis on campus, the children are always with an aide, and the security is very tight as far as doors and passageways--security alarms go off if you open the door leaving the building if someone doesn't "button" you out. While the Center is a different atmosphere and experience than this school in Queens, it's just a prime example of how important security should be in schools to prevent this terrible dilemma.
I believe that this problem could hve been completely avoided, and the points the attorney makes are all complete right. I agree with all his points, and I like the idea of helping track Avonte using the voice of his mother. I hope that Avonte is safe and he can be found very soon!! :(
I believe that the school administration and teachers were responsible for the incident. I agree with Jennifer that as soon as a student get dropped off at school that the school district is responsible for the student’s well-being. This district proved its negligence and as a result an autistic child is lost. I concur with Avonte’s attorney in that there should have been better security measures. I am not sure how Avonte escaped but I hope that he did not walk out the school’s front door. School districts are so focused on having security measures outside of the building but what precautions have been taken from the inside? A person has to be buzzed inside but anyone can simply walk of a building? How safe is that? I think that schools need to start shifting their focus to internal security precautions. I believe that during the school day, front doors should be locked both on the side and on the outside. Ideally, there should be a box that this high enough for teachers to reach but not students, and when pressed the doors would unlock.
ReplyDeleteI was also surprised when I read that Avonte “was in a classroom with one teacher, one aid, and six students.” If a student is severely autistic, has no verbal communication, and is known for wondering he should have a full time aid with them. Avonte not having an aid to assist him is absurd! The aid, with a one-to-one ratio, would have noticed that Avonte was leaving the school grounds and could have stopped him. Avonte is missing due to the school district’s carelessness. I just hope that they learn from their mistakes and take action to make sure an incident like this does not happen again.
I agree the school is responsible for the missing boy. No matter if a school is labeled a special needs school, public school or private school, they are responsible for the children in the building for an entire day. It is astonishing to me, that a boy left the school and no one knew. The administrators should be held accountable. I do agree that in his IEP or BIP there should have been goals and objectives for his wandering behavior.They main priority is the boy and how to help him and meet his needs.
ReplyDeleteIf he had a one to one aid, that aid should be with him CONSTANTLY and never leave his side, especially because he is non verbal. Where was the aid when he left the school? Where there no security guards patrolling the school or cameras keeping watch?
Post Newton School shooting, I have seen many schools emphasize security and taking extra measures. As a future educator, daughter and sister, I cannot imagine losing a loved one like his parents must be going through. As teachers, we are entrusted with parents' entire worlds, their children.
Yes the school is at fault but I believe the family is at fault too. The mother knew she had a wandering child that got away from her 3 times before this. I believe it was her responsibility to make sure she demanded that her son have a one on one aide. He got bused everyday to school and back. Did she not know the school didn't have guards at every door and doors were not locked all the time ??? As a parent it's our responsible first to make sure that all means are being done to keep my kid safe. She knew all this and still left her kid in that school. So all the blame shouldn't be on the school only. She just got lucky those 3 other times when she lost him. After 3 times I think she should have did more to protective him. That school wasn't the right school for him. This was a reg school with special ed class too. Not everyone in that school is trained to handle kids like Avonte. Sad story but the school and the family let Avonte down.
DeleteI believe that the protocols at the school were not enforced. I also feel that the one teacher and one aide could have prevented this from occurring since they only had 6 students in their classroom. First, the school should have rules on the doors that lead to outside the school building. There should be someone posted at certain times by these doors so that there is no entry or exit during the school day, especially if there are children like Avonte in the school. Next, the teacher and the aide should have been better equipped whether it be the administration or child study team to inform them, they should have known how to deal with a situation like his. I definitely agree with the attorney because these are protocols that must be followed daily within a school, whether there are IEPs are not.
ReplyDeleteEveryone has made very valid points about who should be held accountable for this very unfortunate event. Protocols were clearly not enforced here by the school and teachers. I think that an additional safety protocol for teachers and parents should instruct their student/child should be some sort of safety plan/drills. This may not necessarily have to be verbal drills. This could be done in the form of hand signals or sounds. For example, a teacher and parent could make up individual hand signals for when their lost, hurt, or scared. Teachers and parents could also establish a sound signal that would mean "where are you?" or "come to here". Students/children should be drilled to know what these mean. This way, they don't necessarily need to be verbal to express their thoughts and feelings when they're lost. Another alternative to prevent this, is establishing peer responsibilities with one another. Students keeping each other checked would be an extra pair of eyes for when the adults might slip in doing their job. This not only serves as extra sets of eyes, but would also develop a sense of community within the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI believe it is absolutley necessary for schools tp have necessary protocol for issue like this. It is unaccaeptable for an Autistic child to "escape" or wander off from school without anyone knowing.
ReplyDeleteIt should be the administraters responsibility to key down on security around school settings. Where could this child have gone without the proper supervision.
I agree that a one on on aide is a great idea. It is crucial that each special need child gets the proper attention they need so issues like this won't happen.
I also like the idea of the "buddy" system as Amelia stated. It gives children the opportunity of class resposibility to watch over eachother and have secuirty in the classroom as well.
I absolutely think that the school administration was negligent in the case of this missing child. Having prior knowledge that this was a student who has a tendency to wander off, there should have been more than two adults in the room with these disabled students. I would think that there should be enough adults in such a classroom that the ratio would be one student to one adult given the severity of their disorder. As for Avonte's IEP and behavior intervention plan, why was this plan not being applied? Had it been enforced effectively, the student would not have gone missing in the first place. I 100% agree that the school's security was lax at best. Considering the nature of certain students' disabilities, security should be implemented to the maximum degree to ensure that no child puts himself in harm's way. That is the responsibility of the school's administration and they did not implement this as they should have. The administration was entirely negligent. They should have been proactive in their measures towards their students' safety as opposed to reactive. Measures regarding security should have had cameras at ever entrance. Perhaps the classroom door should have had a bell on it so that an adult could better hear/be aware of the fact that someone has entered or exited the room. I am in complete agreement with all the attorney's points regarding this case.
ReplyDeleteI do believe that the school administration was negligent in this case. Being part of a regular education school, administration should be taking extra precautions to ensure the safety of the special education students in their building. Security should be placed at all of the doors in a school, especially in an urban city such as New York City. Students, regardless of whether they are regular or special ed students, should be monitored and kept within the walls of the building. The attorney is definitely on point with his statements regarding Avonte's IEP. Special goals and objectives should definitely be placed within his IEP to ensure he is working towards staying in class and not wondering. It is definitely an unfortunate situation, however, this school, as well as other schools, should be seeing this as an example and learning from these mistakes.
ReplyDeleteI don't believe that the school should be held entirely at fault, however, it is the school's job to make sure all students are safe. It can be difficult to predict what an autistic student may do, but I definitely believe that there should have been another teacher or several more aides in the classroom (depending on the needs of the other students). There should have been stricter guidelines in his IEP so that he would be more protected. There are other precautions that the school could have made in regards to security with doors being locked or monitored, but not everything is able to be anticipated. Hopefully, although this is an unfortunate event, the school will learn from this in order to make it a safer place for all students.
ReplyDeleteThe school has to take responsibility for each student. The school is meant to function as a second home for the students. Teachers need to work together with faculty and staff to take care of students. If a system is inadequate or run by people who do not care, students will pick up on that environment. Discord and lack of organization lead to disaster. The situation could have been avoided and the school is at fault for the event.
ReplyDelete