The father of a special needs student tells this blog that his daughter was assaulted at Allen, by a security officer. The girl missed her bus, and a security guard was assigned to wait with her, until another van could pick her up. Supposedly, the guard became frustrated, presumingly by the girl's behavior, and subsequently pushed her into a locker, injuring her fingers. According to the parent, a coverup of the incident has evolved since he first filed a complaint with the school, and then the police. Although he has provided the school administration, school board members and local media with a report detailing the incident, save for this blog post, nothing has been written. He is beginning to believe that the titan's of Allentown are sacrificing his daughter's welfare, for the district and city's image.
Special needs children require so much in the way of guidance, love, curriculum that is appropriate in their school, and most of all..they require protection from harm. Inept and abusive school officials should not have to be a concern but all too often, can be. Untrained staff fail to realize the intellectual and emotional limitations of these children, and put unrealistic expectations on their abilities to behave, listen to instructions, or even to have skills to socialize with other children. Incidents such as these are sadly not uncommon here and elsewhere. Special needs children and adolescents are more likely not to report a sexual assault, they are more vulnerable to bullying, and they deserve to have a safe harbor especially while in the custody of the county, state and city. When cities are suffering from overwhelming societal and economic ills, special needs people and other vulnerable populations such as the elderly will suffer the greatest harm. I hope there will be corrective resolution to this unfortunate and inexcusable incident soon.
ReplyDeleteThere is NO question, increased class sizes, less teaching staff, etc. leads to more discipline problems. These things will only grow as ASD moves forward.
ReplyDeleteAs for THIS incident, I would need more information to determine if an ASD employee did anything inappropriate. Keep in mind, when a student acts out, flails their arms and legs, any injury to them could be self-inflicted. I've been in MANY altercations with kids who lash out physically. None of it is pretty for either party. Videotape might help to better understand what went on.
Fred Windish
fred@6:30, your point is well made and i have changed the post's wording from apparently, the guard became frustrated, to supposedly the guard.
ReplyDeletethis is the second incident that this blog has reported about a parent's frustration interacting with the district, concerning a bullying/assault situation. I'm not in a position to have first hand knowledge about the events, but i did agree to allow this blog's outreach to shine some light on the incidents.
I find it sad that people strive to minimize this type of behavior.
ReplyDeleteThe rationalization, justification, and dance to avoid responsibility is pathetic.
School districts become mute for for their purported legal reasons. They end up doing as much damage as the perpetrators.
It is their Achilles heal.
David Fehr Zimmerman
Michael
ReplyDeleteDo you have information on the extent of the wrist injury? Are we talking a break, a sprain, a bruise?
I agree that more information is needed on many points before we can draw a conclusion.
As to some that want to argue that teacher cuts are the cause of the incidents, I would argue the teachers union might be complicit. I know of several reasonable changes to policy that would improve safety that have been resisted by the union.
It's unfortunate, but I think the union has figured out that linking student safety to teacher head count might work in their favor. Unfortunately it leaves our kids stuck in the middle.
@10:03, i was informed this morning by the parent that i misunderstood, and that the injury was to the girl's fingers, i didn't ask the extent. i believe his concern is what he considers a coverup by those who should be investigating. there is a video which i was told is obscure and inconclusive. the ASD supposedly finds it a defense, the parent considers it doctored. anybody interested enough can send me contact information by comment, which i will not print, and i in turn provide them with the parent's contact info.
ReplyDelete10:03 -
ReplyDeleteOf course, teacher cuts are not the CAUSE of such incidents, but teacher cuts absolutely DO affect their frequency.
Incidents like this are not new. I started in ASD in 1973. These things existed then, some more severe than this incident appears to be. Retired now, I can tell you, youth often act differently according to OPPORTUNITY.
This is why cafeterias remain volatile, auditorium programs, school dances, and the before/afterschool environment can flare out of control at any time.
There really IS a mob mentality among students who believe they are hidden by their anonymity and volume of their presence. The present name for this is 'flash mob.'
This potential is NOT an invention of teachers or their union. It's always been with us. Increasing the amount of students to supervisor works AGAINST improvement, including behavior.
I have always contended, the last employees to be cut should be classroom teachers. Evidently, that's not possible.
Fred Windish
i would suggest that maybe Reilly and his gang could offer a few of their millions in profit to the School system every year. It's not like they aren't getting more than their fair share in this taxpayer funded shell game. Second, close all the Sham charter schools. It is legalized stealing from the Public school system.
ReplyDeleteThird, stop blaming the teachers for everything. I have a family member teaching in Allentown, and she sacrifices all the time for her kids. I am so tired of good servants like here being wrongly categorized as leeches on the system.
Call Larry Lewis, former Allen High School varsity football coach.
ReplyDeleteCall Mr. Louis DeLorenzo, my assistant principal my whole time at both Trexler and Allen.
Ask the two gentlemen about the "suspension" I took because Lewis didn't like my football article that had appeared in the school paper.
(I openly criticized his decision to fake punt on fourth and long deep in our own territory late in the fourth quarter against Emmaus)
DiLorenzo, a good man whom would trust still to this day, told me to look at the suspension as an extended Christmas vacation --- so I did!
Tell Lewis each and every time he throws a punch, I will still punch back because I'll always be bananas like that.
Nah, no cover-ups at good ole' Allen High, ever.
Sincerely,
ROLF OELER
This is the acting Lehighcounty Distrct Attorney's responsibility? All is well in the county seat were the the puck is bound to drop? There are no causualties for the public they ReFere to as the cancer that must be ReMoved?
ReplyDeleteI no my eairlier on was a little blatent and to the point, but than the truth hurts? Reprecussions are very costly to those that negate facts and sway the truth to there desires?
redd
patent pending
The title of this blog post certainly implies guilt. I love ya, Mr. Molovinsky, but the evidence trail is thin here, and the character assassination of the ASD (especially the guard) seems to me to be unwarranted as of now. What we have as evidence, as I understand it, is one parent's testimony. I have great sympathy for parents who fear for their children's safety, but I do not necessarily take everyone's tales of grievances at face value. Some people just make stuff up for unknown reasons. I am NOT saying that happened here, I am just saying that we don't know what happened, so assigning guilt to anyone is premature and unwarranted. I hope you know I appreciate your continuing to bring the issues of the ASD to the forefront of your blog. Your intentions are good, and I totally respect your work.
ReplyDeletemomma@8:20, your critique about the title is justified. i actually omitted certain details about the guard, to conceal his identity. if i was shown a video today, which totally exonerated the guard, i would still have no regrets about this post. it's not only the testimony of the parent, but also that of the child. more important to me was providing an outlet for the family's grievance, which they were denied by all the local media.
ReplyDeleteIT SEEMS THAT THE CONCERNED PARENT OF THE ASSAULTED DAUGHTER BY A SCHOOL GUARD IS ASKING THE HONORABLE PATRICK BROWNE TO USE HIS POLITICAL POWER FOR THE VIDEO TAPE TO BE SENT OUT TO AN APPROVED F.B.I LAB. THIS WILL ESTABLISH GUIDELINES FOR VIDEO ENHANCEMENT, AND VOICE COMPREHENSION THROUGH LIP READING.THIS WILL ALSO DETERMINE IF THE VIDEO TAPE WAS TAMPER WITH, AND ALTERED TO DAMAGE THE MINORITY SP NEEDS STUDENT TESTIMONIAL. THIS COVER UP IS TO PROTECT THE ALLENTOWN SHOOL DISTRICT FROM THIS ASSAULT ON A MINORITY SPECIAL NEED STUDENT.
ReplyDeleteIT SEEMS TO ME THAT THE OBJECTIVE HERE IS NOT THE ASSASSINATION OF THE ALLENTOWN SCHOOL BOARD, BUT A REGIME CHANGE REPLACEMENT 2 MEMBERS AT A TIME.
ReplyDeleteYOUR ON!
GORILLA TYPEWRITER-2