An Indiana teacher gave a boy with autism a trophy for being the “Most Annoying Male” of the year, his father said, prompting an apology from officials Monday.
A special education teacher at Bailly Preparatory Academy in Gary, Indiana, reportedly gave the award to the 11-year-old during a fifth-grade award luncheon May 23. The ceremony had parents, the principal and students in attendance, The Associated Press reported Tuesday.
“We were blindsided,” Rick Castejon, the boy’s dad said, according to The Northwest Indiana Times. “We just weren’t expecting it. As a principal or teacher, you should never let this happen to any student.”
Castejon said his son is nonverbal, rocks back and forth from time to time and can become easily emotional. (RELATED: 10-Year Study Of More Than 650,000 People Releases Report On Measles Vaccine And Autism)
“They called me all the time if he didn’t want to work, would cry or would have a breakdown,” he said. “A special needs education teacher should know how to handle these things.”
Indiana teacher awards autistic boy ‘annoying male’ trophyhttps://t.co/bTu52ESvx4 pic.twitter.com/cekQ5eFQya
— WBRZ News (@WBRZ) June 4, 2019
Gary Community School Corp. emergency manager Peter Morikis said disciplinary action was taken against the worker involved. The teacher’s name was not revealed and the employment status of the school worker is unclear, The Northwest Indiana Times reported.
“We acknowledge the potential impact that an experience like this could have on a child’s mental well-being, self-esteem and overall level of comfortability in a learning environment going forward,” Morikis said, according to The Northwest Indiana Times.
Gary Community School Corp. did not immediately respond to The Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.
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