Wampum

Second Thoughts

As some of you may know, my wife and I are planning to move from Atlanta to the Chapel Hill, North Carolina area next summer. One reason we wanted to live near Chapel Hill is the reputation it has for providing very good educational programs for autistic kids.

As a result, it was a bit distressing to read the following in today's Durham Morning Herald:

Police charged an award-winning former Chapel Hill teacher Tuesday with assault and other offenses that allegedly took place in her classroom for autistic children during the 2003-04 school year.

Supporters, including parents and a former principal, called the charges a "travesty" and praised the teacher's work with the students.

Kathleen Yasui-Der, 49, of 101 Fieldstone Court, Chapel Hill, turned herself in at the Chapel Hill Police Department on Tuesday afternoon to have five warrants served, police spokeswoman Jane Cousins said Tuesday...

The charges relate to two students: a 9-year-old boy and a 12-year-old boy, who were students of Yasui-Der. School officials reported the alleged offenses that occurred during the last school year at Frank Porter Graham Elementary School, Cousins said...

The assaults, according to the warrants, consisted of allegedly bending a student's finger back and slapping a student around the head, Cousins said.

The count of alleged child abuse occurred on March 12, when the teacher allegedly twisted a student's arm, Cousins said.

I do not know what to think. A number of parents who have had kids in Yasui-Der's class have come to her defense as has the principle of the school. I generally trust POA's opinion of teachers.

If the complaints are true, Yasui-Der deserves to be prosecuted. There is no excuse, reason, or justification for a teacher to intentionally strike a nine year-old autistic boy on or about the head.

I will await court proceedings before passing judgment on Yasui-Der. Perhaps it was an accident. Perhaps it was mistaken identity. I do not know.

In my experience, teachers who choose to make educating autistic kids their life's work are kind, caring, professionals who deserve nothing but our thanks and admiration. I consider one of Bobby's former teachers to be "an angel descended from heaven at God’s instructions to help save my son."

Nonetheless, I can not help but have some second thoughts about the move creep into my head.

Posted by Dwight Meredith at August 25, 2004 07:35 PM | TrackBack