A heartbreaking moment was caught on camera when a schoolteacher snatched the microphone from an autistic boy’s hand to stop him from saying his line in a school play.
At the Nutter Fort Primary School in Harrison County, West Virginia, a six-year-old boy named Caleb was playing the turkey in the theatrical production, but was left crying on stage as the teacher walked away with the microphone.
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Caleb’s parents, Kent Squires and Amanda Riddle, were in attendance to film the show. Right before the six-year-old could deliver his line, “gobble gobble,” the teacher rushed up to the stage to take away the microphone.
“Oh no!” Caleb said before breaking out in tears in front of the audience.
Kent Squires, Caleb’s father, took to Facebook to share the video.
Squires posted the clip with the caption: “This is my little boy in his Thanksgiving play. He is the last kid and has level one high functioning autism. He has the biggest heart and [is] always happy. Now watch it and see what a teacher of kids does to him. He has [come] home from school and said he gets to say ‘gobble gobble’ cause he was playing the turkey. I am reaching out to see if something can be done.”
Many of the other parents saw the video on Facebook and rallied behind Caleb and his family.
One mother wrote: “As a parent of children in Harrison County schools, I am horrified by that woman’s behavior. Not only did she crunch that sweet child’s heart by doing that, but she is showing the other students that kind of behavior is OK. It isn’t OK at all. While I do not know the child or his family, I am part of his community. I cannot stand to think that people can treat our children that way. I have already emailed the superintendent. I hope something can be done.”
Check out the full video below:
The Superintendent of Harrison County Schools, Mark Manchin, said that the Board of Education was investigating the video. Manchin believed that the incident was a “mistake’ and that there was “no malice” intended, according to Daily Mail.
“It’s a mistake that was made,” Manchin said. “There was no malice. This teacher, as all of our teachers, truly cares about these young boys and girls. The program was over, at least as I understand, and the teacher had taken the microphone.”
How would you have reacted if you saw a teacher snatch the microphone away from an autistic child?
[H/T Daily Mail]
