MID NORTH COAST PRIMARY SCHOOL INVESTIGATED AFTER SHOCKING CLAIMS
A primary school on the NSW Mid North Coast is being investigated over claims an autistic boy was tied to a chair with a weighted vest and ankle straps.
The NSW Department of Education has confirmed it is investigating the Manning Gardens Public School in Taree following a complaint from the student’s mother in May, The Daily Telegraph reports.
The mother posted a photo of the chair allegedly used to restrain her non-verbal autistic son online, saying “This is what schooling for my son looks like”.
“He goes to school and is locked into the chair with the foot box and ankle straps,” she said.
She said that the boy was also detained in a fenced area that “resembled a cage” during lunch time.
She has since pulled her son out of the school.
The mother said she had shared her story online to raise awareness about the treatment of disabled children in Australia.
“I am ready to take this to the big time because change needs to happen,” she said.
A spokeswoman for the department of education said an investigation was immediately launched, which remains in progress, after the allegations were made in May.
“Support for students with special needs has been reviewed at the school, and the Department has met the mother on several occasions to discuss her concerns,” she said.
The spokeswoman added that the department is still working with the mother to find an “appropriate alternative educational setting” for her son.
