When you’re the parent of a child who is on the autism spectrum, you probably feel the urge to consistently step up to the plate for them, especially when it comes to matters at school. You want to ensure that they’re well taken care of and all their needs are getting met, especially if they’re nonverbal and you need to be their voice. One mother from Wisconsin is speaking up for her autistic teenage son because she alleges that someone at his school served him a can of dog food for lunch. The frustrated mom questions how something like this could have happened, even if it was an “accident.”
Debra Hawkes from Madison is fighting for “accountability” for her 15-year-old nonverbal autistic son, as she says that staff at Madison East High School gave her son Jaden dog food instead of a normal school lunch, News 3 Now reported.
Hawkes received a phone call confirming what happened with her son’s lunch a few weeks ago, and a member of the staff at his school sent her a photo of the can of dog food that had been served to Jaden, per Cleveland 19 News. “He looked like he ate a little bit of something, at least three, four or five bites,” Jaden’s mom explained.
The appalled mother said that she does not see how any that this could have been an accident, reported Cleveland 19 News. “If you can’t be safe in school, where could you be safe at?” Hawkes asked. “If it was an accident … it can’t be an accident.”
Hawkes was also concerned that her autistic son was given a metal can that he could easily have “cut himself with,” News 3 Now reported. She also thinks this incident at school has been a setback in terms of Jaden’s typical behavior, because he’s usually a “nice and energetic” teen and he “hasn’t been himself” since, per the news outlet.
In order to properly advocate for her son, Hawkes told News 3 Now that she visited East High School almost every day for a week trying to get some answers about how this heinous incident even occurred in the first place.
Luckily, Hawkes said the person that served Jaden the dog food has been fired, according to News 3 Now. The Madison Metropolitan School District confirmed that one of its staff members has been placed on leave after giving the 15-year-old a can of wet Nutrish dog food, per the outlet.
“The Madison Metropolitan School District takes student safety and well-being seriously. When issues arise, we respond immediately and must also follow due process. The staff member allegedly involved has been placed on leave. Because of student and employee privacy laws, we are unable to share any information about this incident at this time,” the Madison school officials shared in a statement sent to News 3 Now.
This incident is still being investigated, News 3 Now reported. Hawkes expressed that when she saw the photo of her son with the dog food, her “heart hurt” and “broke” for her son.
Our hearts hurt for Jaden as well. We can only hope that this disturbing incident is properly investigated and nothing like it happens again.
