Reply to Petition to Rescind the appointment of AP at Rock Creek Valley ES

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]A statement from mom of the child in the video: 
Despite being just 6 years old and autistic, my son bravely testified but was subjected to questions far beyond his developmental level—questions the defense exploited. What 6-year-old can recall what they had for lunch or a statement they made eight months prior? This treatment was deeply unfair. My son should not have had to testify, especially with clear video evidence, and the judge should not have placed so much weight on the testimony of a 6-year old. Judge Sharon Burrell’s decision on 11/25 felt predetermined and dismissed critical evidence, leaving my family and me deeply disheartened. Her ruling did not make any sense and was a poor excuse to recuse herself from this case and protect MCPS. She had an attitude from the beginning, impatient and unsympathetic to my 6-year-old autistic son who was assaulted and has never been in court. Judge Burrell claimed my son displayed no outward signs of pain, ignoring both the video evidence and my son’s clear testimony about his suffering. Her dismissal of this evidence sends a dangerous message about the acceptability of physical violence in schools. He screamed and cried out when this 200-pound man grabbed him to force him to sit down, then stomped on his foot as if he were crushing a bug or putting out a cigarette. My son, who is barely 50 pounds and has very narrow feet, experienced intense pain—how could he not? The feet are incredibly sensitive, containing approximately 8,000 nerve endings. To give a clear depiction of the video Judge Burrell referenced: it begins with Andrew grabbing my son by the hoodie, pulling him backward toward a cafeteria table seat to force him to sit down. When that wasn’t enough, Andrew turned his back to the camera and stomped on my child’s tiny foot. Then, like a true abuser, Andrew sat next to his victim, wrapping his arm around him in a manipulative attempt to stop him from crying and to deflect attention from the situation. This makes me wonder—what else has he done to my son or other children throughout his career if he felt emboldened enough to assault a 6-year-old with a disability in a crowded cafeteria, on camera, and unprovoked? All of this happened because of a misunderstanding and my son needing to use the bathroom multiple times during his lunch hour. This ruling not only failed my son but also failed to protect other children from similar abuse. It is imperative that school systems implement stricter protections against physical violence by staff. Andrew had more than 100 different approaches he could have taken to get my kindergartener to comply—he did not need to abuse his authority and resort to physical violence. The fact that my son was physically assaulted by his principal so early in his schooling, combined with the possibility that Andrew will continue working with children, is both terrifying and disheartening.[/quote]

As a parent of a 8-year-old child with ASD Level 3, this screams of a statement written by a personal injury attorney that's upset they won't get their big pay day, not of a parent of a child with special needs.[/quote]

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