Former Teacher's Aide Claims Special Ed Principal Abused Students

HAVERSTRAW, N.Y. — A former teacher's aide denied tenure by Rockland BOCES is suing his former employers, claiming the principal of a special-education program physically and verbally abused students and later fired the aide for reporting the conduct.

Kenneth Egan

Kenneth Egan said he recorded Principal Kimberly Taylor at the Hilltop School special-education program in June 2011 as she allegedly berated students, cursed and called one of them the R-word during a graduation rehearsal with 250 students present.

Facility Supervisor Charged In Death Of Patient With Autism

NEW YORK -- The parents of Jawara Henry, 27, tearfully praised the Richmond County District Attorney's office for bringing charges against Erik Stanley, 37, of Middletown, N.J in Henry's death last year. The family also announced plans to file a civil lawsuit against the state-run institution where their autistic son died. Henry died while being subdued by workers at the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Staten Island.

Stanley surrendered to police Wednesday morning and was arraigned in State Supreme Court, St. George, on charges of criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person for Henry's death on Dec. 4, 2010. Stanley pleaded not guilty and was released on his own recognizance.

McDonald's Manager Punches Customer with Service Dog

ATLANTA -- A Marietta McDonald's manager is accused of punching a mother who brought a service dog and her autistic children into the restaurant.

A Cobb County warrant charges Tiffany Denise Allen with simple battery, simple assault fear and disorderly conduct.

According to the warrant, Jennifer Schwenker entered the Marietta McDonald's located at 1291 Bells Ferry Road with her children and service dog on July 12.

Allen, off-duty at the time, became irate that the dog was in the restaurant, the warrant says.

Abusive Doctor Loses License

A story from the BBC--a doctor who was caught abusing an autistic resident lost his right to practice. A disgusting situation, deserving of serious consequences.

NORFOLK, England -- A doctor who kicked a patient suffering from autism at a residential home in Cromer, Norfolk, has been struck off by the General Medical Council (GMC).

The GMC panel found Dr Robert Bartosik, 47, had kicked the male resident, in his 30s, in the rear during a row over a pair of rubber gloves in March 2007.

The GMC fitness to practise panel ruled his actions were "unacceptable".

Dr Bartosik, who was a support worker at the time, denied the allegation and claimed a witness was lying.

The GMC panel also found him guilty of deficient professional performance at various NHS trusts throughout the UK.

The panel agreed with a number of his employers that Dr Bartosik, who comes from Poland, had poor clinical skills and poor communication and language abilities.

The doctor was said to have ignored advice from colleagues when he tried to take the gloves from the kitchen of a bungalow at the Treehaven home for people with autism spectrum disorders.

The resident, who has Asperger's syndrome, began throwing items of cutlery at Dr Bartosik, who retaliated with the kick.

The panel noted: "As a professional person Dr Bartosik should have dealt with the situation in a different way and not have retaliated by kicking the patient.

"The panel is of the view that his actions were out with the boundaries of acceptability and that the public and profession would deem it to be unacceptable."

Progress Seen Amid Battle Against Bullying

SANDY, Utah — At 12 years old, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr., Hannah Gilbert sat down at the computer, chose a fancy font and, using short, simple sentences, laid out her life's dream in an essay.
"My dream is to help little kids with special needs like me," wrote the little blonde, who has Down syndrome. "Please treat special needs kids good and don't be mean."
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, 85 percent of children with disabilities are targets of bullying. In a recent study conducted by Community Gatepath, a California-based nonprofit that serves people with disabilities, researchers found maltreatment wasn't isolated to verbal abuse or ridicule, but also included physical abuses like tying children up or force feeding them dog food and alcohol. Sixty percent of children with disabilities are harassed to the point of physical injury.