An Indiana school district has apologized after one of its teachers awarded an 11-year-old autistic boy a “most annoying male” of the school year trophy.
The Bailly Preparatory Academy teacher’s act “blindsided” the boy’s parents, according to the Northwest Indiana Times. The teacher gave the boy the trophy at a fifth-grade awards luncheon attended by the boy’s class, their parents, and the school’s principal, Carlita Royal.
“We just weren’t expecting it,” Rick Castejon, the boy’s father, said. “As a principal or teacher, you should never let this happen to any student.”
The educator involved is one of the prep school’s special education teachers. He later acted like the incident was a joke. It is unknown what kind, if any, of disciplinary action was taken. The teacher did not attend a fifth-grade graduation ceremony later.
The school often contacted the boy’s parents for various issues, such as the boy not working or showing odd mannerisms.
“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.”
“We just don’t want any other kids to go through this,” Castejon said. “Just because they have special needs doesn’t mean they don’t have feelings.”
