MADISON, Wis. (WMTV) – A mother says her nonverbal 15-year-old son with autism was fed dog food while at Madison East High School, and she is now demanding answers about how the incident occurred.
The staff member allegedly involved has been placed on leave and police are investigating.
Debra Hawkes said the incident involving her son, freshman Jaden Hawkes, happened on Friday, Feb. 13. She said the school’s principal did not notify her until the following week on Tuesday, Feb. 17.
“I didn’t hear about it until the following week,” Debra Hawkes said. “So they covered it up for the whole weekend, and I was trying to figure out why my son was acting different, a little aggressive, not wanting to eat.”
Hawkes sent WMTV a picture showing the opened can of dog food.
Another teacher discovered the opened can of dog food in a time-out room used by Jaden and texted her a photo of it, according to Hawkes.
“Another teacher that I know, came in Jaden’s room, time-out room, because they got a little time-out room for him,” Hawkes said. “And he said, ‘What is this can of dog food doing in my baby’s room?’”
She said she received the photo after she was notified by the principal.
“So he actually took a picture and sent it to the principal,” Hawkes said. “The principal didn’t tell me until the next week.”
Two weeks after the incident, Hawkes and community leaders gathered Friday, saying they are left with more questions than answers. Hawkes said she has been asking why her son was fed dog food, what led up to the incident, and why dog food was at the school in the first place.
“I was going up to the school every day,” she said. “I was trying to figure out why did they tell me the next week, and why when I finally was able to meet with them, they said it’s an investigation and they can’t tell me nothing.”
Community leaders echoed her call for transparency.
“I demand answers for the many unanswered questions that Jaden and loved ones have been following up with regarding this incident,” Rep. Sheila Stubbs said.
Hawkes said her son has not returned to school since the incident occurred.
“This doesn’t sound right, it doesn’t feel complete for a nonverbal child especially,” Hawkes said.
MMSD declined WMTV’s request for an interview but sent a statement, writing: