Private School Gets Educated About Ableism After A Substitute PE Teacher Tried To Force A Student With Cerebral Palsy To Climb A Rock Wall For Class

The principal told OP she was making excuses for her daughter's behavior but that's not even the worst thing he said

Chelsi

• Published in Interesting
• July 5, 2022

It's not always easy to stand up for yourself. However, there are times when no one else can defend us but ourselves.

OP's daughter, Amanda, found herself in a situation like this at school. Amanda is 13 years old and she has Cerebral Palsy.

Amanda can walk independently but not over a long period of time and she can only walk comfortably on even ground. Due to her condition, she has an IEP (Individualized Education Program) which specifies what physical activities Amanda can and cannot do during her PE classes.

OP and her husband work, so they can't pick up Amanda after school. She has to ride on a specific bus route because the other busses will drop her off a mile from their home on a road with no footpath.

OP was at work when she got a call from Amanda's school informing her that her daughter spoke rudely to a teacher. Apparently, the substitute PE teacher tried to make Amanda climb a rock wall for their class.

Amanda said she can't because she has Cerebral Palsy and she has an IEP detailing it. Another student piped up and said they too had the same condition leading the substitute to think Amanda was also faking it.

The teacher stood closer to Amanda, towered over her, and began insisting for her to climb the wall

Amanda told him to "f*ck off" and wouldn't say anything else but that until she was sent to the office. The school's handbook says this behavior warrants same-day detention.

Upon being informed of this, OP said they absolutely cannot do this. She said they can spread out the detention throughout the week but it cannot happen this afternoon.

OP and her husband are working which means Amanda would have to take the bus. Due to the afterschool detention, she would have to go on a much later bus which would drop her off a mile away from their house.

This would be unsafe for Amanda because of her disability. The school's principal said OP was making excuses for her daughter and they were just informing her as a courtesy because they technically did not need her permission to proceed with detention.

OP agreed that Amanda's language warranted a punishment but this detention is not the way. OP informed them that If they will insist on this, she will pull her daughter out of school for the rest of the day.

OP's sister told her she was being "one of those moms" but is she really at fault here? You can read the full story below:

"I got a call..."

"Absolutely not."

"Well, sounds like natural consequences to me." (Well, you're an idiot.)

"Making excuses."

The only deplorable behavior was displayed by the PE teacher and the school principal

Amanda doesn't deserve any punishment when she bravely advocated for herself against insensitive adults

Amanda made her condition clear in a calm manner but the teacher escalated the situation

The teacher's behavior made Amanda's language necessary

OP did what she should as a parent. More than that, did all she could to advocate for herself against grown adults who are supposed to protect her and should know better.

Looks like OP got inspired by the comment above and will include it to her long list of complaints against the school

OP made an update about the situation not long after

You can read her full update below:

OP rescinded Amanda's punishment but explained to her why she couldn't just yell "f*ck off" to everyone

Amanda chose to write a letter of apology addressed to the principal to say sorry for her language

OP wrote an email to the principal to establish a paper trail of what had happened since the PE class

The ableist principal confirmed everything OP said had happened

After the conversation, OP went to the public school hoping it would be a better fit for her daughter

OP liked what she saw and the school policies. She will be bringing Amanda to tour the school herself.

OP also stopped by the ableist principal's office to make sure there was some progress about the situation

The principal suggested they weren't the right school for Amanda's "limitations." OP told him this will be Amanda's last day at their school.

OP thanked the one person who was helpful and requested for Amanda's school records to be transferred to her new school.

OP should really report the unacceptable way the school and the staff handled this

This way, OP can make sure no other students with disabilities get treated the way Amanda was treated

Amanda has officially transferred to the public school and she loves it

OP will not sue the school per the advice of her lawyer but she will report them once she gets Amanda's records

It looks like Amanda has moved on from the situation with a big smile on her face

Amanda's courage and will to stand up for herself was inspiring for a lot of folks

OP also did her job as a parent very well. She advocated for her and included her in every decision she made.

It's sad that while the world has made significant progress when it comes to viewing disabilities, there are still some who are so stubborn that they would rather remain ignorant. How the school treated Amanda was completely unacceptable.

It's frustrating that she was backed into a corner and was punished for the way she defended herself. Her teachers were supposed to protect her but they were leading the charge to bully her because of her disability.

Chelsi