Handling of incident with autistic student was problematic, says Lottides

Ombudswoman Maria Stylianou-Lottides on Wednesday called for better qualified school chaperones after the “problematic” handling of an incident at a primary school involving a child with autism.

In a report, Lottides explained that her office investigated a complaint by the child’s mother, finding that “after the decision of a school assistant, who has no special education expertise, was taken to a different classroom, away from her classmates, teacher and familiar environment, and was kept isolated for two school periods and during the break”.

Lottides detailed that the school’s special education officer could not attend to the incident when it flared up as she was occupied with another child, which is why other another school assistant rushed to help.

As the incident caused upset in the classroom, the girl was taken to the special education room, where she remained for two 40-minute periods and a break.

According to the report, the school’s speech therapist, the principal, and the girl’s teacher went to the room to check on her.

“The student remained agitated, constantly apologising and repeating the same behaviours and it was therefore deemed best to remain there during the break until she calmed down as this made her a risk to both her own safety , as well as the rest of her class,” it said.

The school made no attempt to communicate with the child’s family, so that she could at least be reassured and calmed down, Lottides added.

Reiterating a view previously expressed by her office, that it would be necessary for school chaperones to hold specialised qualifications before being employed for such roles, the ombudswoman recommended that the education ministry proceed with taking measures, possibly through the issuance of guidelines and relevant regular training, in relation to how similar incidents should be handled in the future.

She stressed that the role of a school chaperone accompanying children with disabilities “can be vital in the prevention or timely treatment of some behaviours, but this can in no way be construed as giving them the right to act on their own initiative outside the educational context, or interfere with the regulations applied within the classroom or school premises, the responsibility of which rests solely with the school management and classroom teachers and/or at least special education teachers with relevant handling expertise were involved”.

Lottides added that according to guidelines set by the education ministry, chaperones must accept the instructions and suggestions of the school management and teacher and cooperate with them, pointing out that any different interpretation would in any case be outside the framework of providing uniform education, as set by the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, since it cannot be understood that children with disabilities are subject to different standards, regulations, procedures or punishments than children without disabilities.

It should be made clear that “there is no different, discriminatory framework for handling the pupils in a classroom, and that the responsibility for managing issues that may arise in that setting is in no way shifted from the teachers and the school management anywhere else, and especially not to someone acting according to instructions,” she said.

The ombudswoman said that both school chaperones accompanying children with disabilities, and teaching staff, should receive training that will help them deal with any issues that may manifest with respect and attention, while it should be clear in which cases it is recommended that the school communicate with the children’s parents.

Another suggestion was to raise awareness among all students of each school unit at the beginning of the school year, so that they accept and understand disability and diversity.