6th grader says he was forced to mow school lawn
November 28, 2011 by Leslie E. Packer PhD
Filed under Advocacy
Today’s discouraging news comes from Portland Oregon. Anita Kissée reports:
A local sixth-grader with special needs was pulled out of class and reportedly forced to mow the school lawn as a punishment.
Alice Ott Middle School student, 11-year-old Kyron Sloan, has ADD, Asperger’s and maybe a medical condition, which doctors are still trying to figure out, causing him to sleep.
Sloan’s mother, Kristi Sloan-Ceron, said her son’s counselor decided his punishment for falling asleep in class should be to mow the lawn. But the counselor never asked her first.
Read more on KOMO News.
As I have often cautioned, “Behavior Modification” is often misused in schools. I’d love to have a conversation with the counselor as to what made her think this was reasonably calculated to be successful and why she thought it was appropriate – and ethical.
This is really unacceptable.
