Autistic boy, 8, ‘kept in wooden dog cage’ as parents file claim against school
WARNING: DISTRESSING CONTENT A New York school district faces a legal claim from the parents of an autistic boy who was allegedly kept in a ‘wooden dog cage’ designed to confine him
The boy was allegedly trapped inside the box, which was designed especially to cage him(Image: Facebook)
The parents of an eight year old autistic boy intend to take legal action against a New York school district regarding a “box-shaped wooden dog cage” that was supposedly created to restrain their son.
Rhonda Garrow and Jacob Sunday, the boy’s parents, have lodged a notice of claim. The document states the parents discovered the wooden structure’s existence in December.
Those named as respondents in the filing include the Salmon River Central School District, its Board of Education, former Superintendent Stanley Harper, and School Board President Jason Brockway.
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The parents learned about the existence of the wooden box in December(Image: Facebook)
“I feel betrayed,” Garrow told The Post on Thursday. “They used his disability against him because he can’t defend himself, he can’t stand up for himself. The only thing he can do is yell or cry or try to run away. And I feel that’s why they got this box so they can stuff him in there and just close the door.”
Garrow discovered the box through a former school board member on Facebook who shared photographs of the “timeout” enclosure in an attempt to raise awareness about the matter, reports the Mirror US.
According to the document, Sunday met with Mohawk School Principal Alison Benedict, who acknowledged the box’s existence and confirmed it was designed specifically for his son. The parents’ claim states Benedict denied the school had utilised it or confined the child.
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Following the meeting, the parents also notified St. Regis Mohawk Tribal Police about the box, Atlanta News First reported. The claim states “that although the district later admitted to the existence of at least 3-4 such boxes in total between Salmon River and Mohawk School, they claimed the so-called ‘boxes’ were not used and/or alternatively claimed that any parents knew of and approved of them, but no one ever informed the parents of M.J.S. (the child), about their existence at either School or in M.J.S.’s classroom.”
The parents’ solicitor, Greg Rinckey, explained the child is autistic and nonverbal but has shown distress when viewing photographs of the box. Rinckey stated the boy has indicated reluctance to attend school and when he transferred schools within the district, the box was purportedly relocated with him.
The claim alleges the child and his parents have endured “economic loss and emotional damages, some of which may be permanent in nature.”