The parents of an 11-year-old boy with autism are livid after their son's special education teacher "honored" him with an award for being the 'most annoying male' during a ceremony at Bailly Preparatory Academy in Gary, Indiana.
"We were blindsided. We just weren't expecting it," the boy's father, Rick Castejon told the Times of Northwest Indiana. "As a principal or teacher, you should never let this happen to any student."
After the awards ceremony, Castlejon decided he didn't want to make a big scene in front of other parents and teachers, so he tried to leave without taking the trophy with him. As he was leaving, his son's teacher reminded him not to forget it, acting like the award was just a big joke.
Castlejon explained that his son is nonverbal and is prone to having emotional breakdowns in the classroom.
"They called me all the time if he didn't want to work, would cry or would have a breakdown," Castejon said. "A special needs education teacher should know how to handle these things."
The boy's family met with school administrators, who apologized and promised to take disciplinary action against the teacher.
"An apology was extended on behalf of the district to the family, and disciplinary action was taken against personnel involved," Gary Community School Corp. emergency manager Peter Morikis said in a statement. "We acknowledge the potential impact that an experience like this could have on a child's mental well-being, self-esteem, and overall level of comfortability in a learning environment going forward."
It is unclear what action the school took against the teacher, but Castlejon noticed that she was absent from another awards ceremony a few weeks later.
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