Unacceptable. Can’t believe anyone would think this would be ok.
I’m stunned to hear of the news of Steven Keske, a 7-year-old boy with autism & ‘other special needs’ from Illinois had a ‘screaming bucket’ placed over his head while riding the school bus. His parents are suing the school district, the former bus driver and one of the students aides (both the driver and aide have since been fired by the school district). The parents are seeking more than $750,000 in damages.
As a professional speaker who gives over 100 talks around the world annually, most of those talks being as part of student assemblies and professional development for teachers to help the school systems better understand those with special needs like myself (I was diagnosed with severe autism at 4), we need to do a better job of making others understand that actions like this aren’t ok. We need more understanding and acceptance and a lot of the time that starts with a proper education. Regardless if the student has a disability or not, the actions that are made by these individuals can make a negative long-lasting impact for all those involved. Unfortunately this isn’t an isolated incident. A short time ago I discussed a situation where a student with autism received the “most likely to get lost in a crowd” award which I discuss in the video below.
Imagine if this staff was educated on just a few calming strategies.
This suit was filed in U.S. District Court in Peoria where the boy and his family live. As reported in Disability Scoop, the suit says that “a 5-gallon bucket was placed on the child, over his head, torso, back, and arms. The boy was forcibly held down while wearing the bucket.”
Thinking about the entire Keske family and hoping that Steven is receiving any services needed to help him through what I could only imagine being a traumatizing experience.
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Kerry Magro, a professional speaker and best-selling author who is also on the autism spectrum started the nonprofit KFM Making a Difference in 2011 to help students with autism receive scholarship aid to pursue a post-secondary education. Help us continue to help students with autism go to college by making a tax-deductible donation to our nonprofit here.
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