Oct 13, 2020, Daily Mail: The 'devastating' reason a little boy with severe disabilities was suspended SEVEN TIMES from his school https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-8833909/The-devastating-reason-little-boy-severe-disabilities-suspended-SEVEN-TIMES-school.html A boy with severe disabilities who was suspended from school on seven occasions in a year-and-a-half was not given adequate support, his mother claims. The woman, known as 'Amy', told the Disability Royal Commission on Tuesday that the 18 months had been the most stressful years she had ever experience and had left her son, now 10 years old, traumatised. … Amy said she was at first impressed by the school's willingness to accommodate her son - who has autism, ADHD, anxiety and a number of other conditions - but it soon became apparent the school was not prepared. Just two weeks into kindergarten, aged just 5, the boy had an aggressive outburst and the school responded with the threat of suspension. … This kicked off a string of suspensions, some lasting as long as 20 days, and required a 'devastated' Amy and her partner to alter their work commitments to look after him. Amy said the suspensions were an ineffective method of dealing with Sam's special needs - and she even appealed two of them to the education departmentEventually, after the seventh suspension, she pulled Sam out of the classroom and home-schooled him where she could keep an closer eye on him. Amy told the commission she wants an independant process in place to assess special needs children and their behaviour before they are suspended. She said Sam, at five or six-years-old and with special needs, did not have the capacity to understand a suspension and adjust his behaviour. …
