Success Sunday
“Do not wait for leaders; do it alone, person to person. “
–Mother Teresa
- If it is meant to be, it’s up to me.
- Do it afraid.
- Touching one life at a time will change the world.
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Karns student dies after fall off truck last week
I didn’t hear about this in the news because it was overshadowed by the shooting death of a local student. The S/L Friend told me about this. Because she works in the school system special education department, I consider her a pretty reliable source when she let me know that the student had autism.
Karns student dies after fall off truck last week
KCSO: Teen wasn’t treated until mother took him to hospital
By J.J. Stambaugh
Tuesday, August 19, 2008
A 17-year-old Karns High School student who died from his injuries after falling from a pickup truck during a school activity last week apparently didn’t receive emergency medical attention until his mother picked him up from the school office and drove him to a hospital, according to the Knox County Sheriff’s Office.
E ric R. Law was one of four teenage boys who were riding in the bed of a 1995 Chevrolet S-10 going north in the parking lot of the Byington-Solway Career and Technical Education Center when he fell from the truck and struck his head on the asphalt about 2:40 p.m. Wednesday, a KCSO report said.
Law, a special-education student, lingered in critical condition at Baptist Hospital West until he died Monday morning, said his family’s attorney, Gregory P. Isaacs.
Law was apparently helping other students move furniture from one part of the campus to another under the supervision of their shop teacher when the accident happened, Isaacs said.
After the incident, Law was taken to the school office and his mother was called, the KCSO report said. When she arrived, she took him to the hospital.
The Sheriff’s Office wasn’t notified of the accident until 2:30 p.m. the following day when the school system’s security director, Steve Griffin, reported it, the report said.
Two school employees have been placed on administrative leave with pay pending the outcome of an internal investigation, according to Knox County Schools spokesman Russ Oaks.
The employees were identified as David Boggan, administrator of the Byington-Solway facility, and Law’s teacher, Doyle Shultz. The Byington-Solway facility is part of the Karns High School campus, Oaks said.
“We do have an open investigation, and we are working in concert with the Knox County Sheriff’s Office,” Oaks said. “Once the superintendent feels we have complete and accurate information, then a decision will be made as to what additional action might be appropriate.”
Isaacs said his firm’s investigation into the incident already has raised some questions.
“Why were these students moving furniture at Karns High School in a manner that appears to violate state and local laws and potentially school policy?” Isaacs said. “Secondly, why did the school not contact 911 or other medical responders after he suffered closed head trauma? And, last, why did it take 24 hours to report the incident to law enforcement?
“Although our firm’s thoughts and prayers are with the Law family, we are aggressively pursuing answers to these very troublesome questions.”
The driver of the pickup truck, 17-year-old Cameron Hickey of Knoxville, wasn’t issued any citations, according to the police report. No drug or alcohol tests were administered after the crash, the report said.
Hickey and the three 17-year-old boys who were riding in the back of the truck with Law couldn’t be reached for comment.
Isaacs didn’t specify Law’s special-education needs, and the boy’s family declined requests for an interview through Isaacs.
Schools superintendent Jim McIntyre informed Knox County school board members about the student’s death Monday evening during their midmonth work session. He said counselors will be available at Karns for students.
“Our thoughts and prayers go out to the family of the student,” he said. McIntyre called the situation “a real tragic incident and a tragic day for one of our families” and for the school system.
School board member Cindy Buttry, whose district includes Karns, said she was sitting in the office of Karns Principal Clifford Davis on an unrelated matter when Davis received the call about the student’s death. “We were all devastated,” she said. “Very sad. My condolences and prayers go out to the family.”
Griffin said the school system’s report won’t be available until it’s complete and its release is cleared by Deputy Law Director Marty McCampbell.
Then it was this comment series that really broke my heart personally for what I have to prepare for:
Posted by factsonly on August 19, 2008 at 4:21 p.m.
Having experienced multiple losses in a short amount of time, I send great wishes of strength to this family that is probably numb right now. The hurting will come later, much later.
I have a special needs child that has taken several classes under Mr. Schultz. We have had many instances with no or very poor supervision and carelessness in the classroom but mostly in the shop area. We have repeatedly reported these concerns. I have even suggested if more supervision is needed – get it. The response was, the instructor should be able to handle his students.
Unfortunately special needs kids are picked upon. My child has Asperger’s Syndrome which is high functioning autism. He tries desperately to make friends. Instead, in the shop under Mr. Schultz, he was harassed and bullied by other students with this teachers acknowledgment. And still this teacher continued to do nothing. “Boys will be boys†was his response. Most of the students appeared to have no respect for this man. He continued to allow the obscenities and derogatory remarks to occur. My child witnessed chew/dip use in the shop area. A violation of school code. (end of part 1)
Posted by factsonly on August 19, 2008 at 4:23 p.m.
Part 2
Some of things that has happened to my child over the past 3 years in Mr. Schultz’s classroom have included:
– Having a staple gun held to my child’s head by another student.
– Harassed to the point that my child had no other recourse but to pick up a 6 foot metal pole to defend himself after trying to escape from the student. (Some of the other students think it is great fun to aggravate the idiosyncrasies of a child with Asperger’s).
–A student in class decided to start beating upon my child. My child had no idea why the student suddenly went ballistic.
–Once the police was called (not by me and I don’t know who called the police) because a student in this shop class went after my child. It took quite a while for the police to find the attacker. The school or police did not call me. Luckily my child had a cell phone and called me for help. Otherwise I wouldn’t have know about the incident until he was home. When I asked for protection – the school just told my son to go to the resource room and stay there until the attacker was found or instructed otherwise. After over a week my child was still in the resource room… the reason? The school forgot to tell my child it was alright to go to shop class. So a week of learning was missed in that shop class. Later I found out the attacker was in ISS the whole week. But at the time the principal was pregnant and delivering prematurely her baby. So my son slipped through the cracks again. – The school forgot to tell my child the attacker was in ISS and the it was ok for my child to go back to the class. So week of instruction was missed.
Posted by factsonly on August 19, 2008 at 4:24 p.m.
Part 3 (last one)
–Last incident was having horse play in the shop area. The game was “Cup Checkâ€. This involves a few (unruly) students grabbing the genitals of other (non-participating) students. This is highly inappropriate. In a work environment (as vo-tech is supposed to prepare the students) it would call for immediate disciplinary action. In an effort to not have the genitals grabbed, touched, fondled, etc, my child picked up a lawnmower handle to keep these students away from himself and his genital area. The student was determined to complete the mission and whipped the handlebar. This in turn hit my child’s hip. Luckily there was an electronic devise in his pocket that protected his hip joint. Unfortunately there was enough force that the hit completely destroyed his metal device. I have been trying to resolve this matter. A simple “I’m sorry†and understand how dangerous this horse play is from the child would be sufficient at this point. Supposedly the parents of this child knew about the incident and have not responded. It’s been over 1 year. If my child had done anything remotely wrong, a verbal and written apology would be required as well as replacing anything damaged in addition to his restriction. If the parents don’t have $$ to replace or partial good will offer – fine, but an “I’m sorry†and an understanding of how dangerous this horse play can be is essential to becoming an adult (IMHO).
All the best parenting is great, realizing it is diversified. I may expect much more from my child and others. That is OK. But there is an issue of safety that I have brought up countless times at Karns HS with no resolve. Just “we are working on itâ€. Which doesn’t mean squat after this amount of time.
Unfortunately this incident with E ric Law doesn’t surprise me. BTW My son knew E ric. He was a good kid.
Hopefully things will change the slow wheel of progress. More importantly good common sense is needed. Remember there are wonderful teachers at Karns. But it only takes 1 to be the weakest link in the chain. Just though you would like to hear from a parent with another set of incidences that are passed over. BTW, my child wants nothing to do with shop after his experiences.
BELIEVE
Last night we went to the dollar theatre (well…the four-dollar theatre). When The Hub asked what I wanted to watch, he gave me the choice of 3. I chose Kung-Fu Panda to see if it was kid-friendly since the Elder wanted Kung-Fu underwear without ever having seen the movie. I think there was a trailer in one of the movies we watched for family movie night. There was a behind the scenes with Jack Black too. Looked so-so.
Well, I was wrong. It was an AWESOME movie with an AWESOME moral. I want to quote it but don’t want to spoil it for those who haven’t seen it. No, it wasn’t a kid-friendly movie. But I will make them watch it once The Kiddos turn 18. Just kidding.
The major theme is to BELIEVE. To believe in others…to believe in yourself…to believe in the possibilities.
I.Loved.This.Movie.
(other than the fighting – Everybody was kung-fu fighting…)
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So today I pick up The Elder from Kindergarten. It’s his 2nd day going full-time with all 20 students.
He is doing so well despite what happened the first staggered day. He got a warning for not following directions and had to pull a “yellow” card and sit out 5 minutes on the playground, but I think was all it took. A teacher (with a great reputation) who told him from the start who was dealing the cards. Over that weekend, he was being defiant and not following directions with me.
Me: You know, at Kindergarten, you would have to pull a yellow card for that.
The Elder: Oh, (pauses to digest how in the world I could know that) I wouldn’t do that at Kindergarten.
Mouth hanging open at his blatant manipulation. He is smart enough to know when and where to behave but not smart enough yet to know that he is not supposed to divulge that kind of information to me.
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Last Friday (the second and last staggered day) The Asst sent me a text msg saying,
The Asst: Hope today goes well!
Me: It will!
I knew if I believed that, it was more likely to be true. I was physically ill the day before and that whole day. It wasn’t because I was afraid of his behavior (entirely) but it was because of the paperwork of excused and unexcused absences, tardiness, PE requirements, grades, etc.
From the Knox News Sentinel; complete list of stories
From WBIR News Channel; pdf version
When I picked him up, The K Teacher walked him to the car and told me he had a good day. Yay! Once in the car, I asked him,
Me: So, what did you do in school today?
The Elder: Nuh-fing.
The Gma used to tell us stories all the time about when The Hub was younger how he would do the same thing:
The Gma: So, what did you do in school today?
The lil Hub: Nuh-fing.
The Gma: Did you do math?
The lil Hub: Yes.
The Gma: Did you read?
The lil Hub: Yes.
The Gma: Did you have music?
The lil Hub: Yes. (a little annoyed)
That was the only way she could talk to him in order to find out what he did at school. (Funny, I still talk to The Hub that way at times to get information out of him!)
So I’m recalling that story when he says this, but I said nothing to The Elder afterward. About a mile later, The Elder starts telling me things:
The Elder: I was the line leader today.
Me: You were?
The Elder: Yes, I was the line leader TWICE.
Me: Twice?
The Elder: Yes, I was the line leader to where we eat and when we come back to where we are.
Me: In the lunchroom?
The Elder: No, the cafer-teria.
Me: Oh.
The Elder: Yeah, I was the line leader to the slivel…silvel…sliver…silvler…
Me: Silver?
The Elder: Yes, the silver line. I went to the siillllvveeerrr line and stop at the green door.
Me: Wow. Good Job
My conclusion was, if I don’t ask then, he won’t tell. But if I DO ask, he won’t tell me right away. He wants to tell me but his first response is ‘nothing’ until he can gather his thoughts together to be able to form an answer.
The Elder: Mommy…I got a bluuue card. (the handbook didn’t say anything about a blue card)
Me:What does that mean?
The Elder: Great!
Me: Good Job, I’m so proud of you!
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Then yesterday, the first FULL day with all the students, before he left, I was freaking out because at 7am he was still asleep (and me too which is why I was freaking out). The bus picks up at 7:30 and if he didn’t make the bus we wouldn’t be able to get him to school on time. My heart was pounding. I decided that we needed to have a visual routine for him. If we have that then he will stick to it. So on his way out to get loaded on the bus, I tell him,
Me: I can’t wait for you to tell me you got a blue card today when I pick you up!
The Elder: OK.
That whole “what you think about you bring about” concept. So I brought The AP yesterday so she would know how to pick him up. I got the thumbs up sign from The K Teacher so I was feeling really good and a lot more relaxed.
Me: So what did you do in school today?
The Elder: Nuh-fing.
Me: Were ALL your new friends there?
The Elder: Yes! Twenty of them! There’s 20.
Me: Wow. What are there names?
The Elder: I can’t know how to say their names. I can’t know all uv’em. (shrugging)
Me: Well you have plenty of time to learn them.
The Elder: I can’t know how to tie my shoes.
Me: Would you like for me to teach you how to tie your shoes.
(I got him new shoes for $2 (Stride Rites) at a consignment over the weekend because his feet grow so dang fast. They were the only size 11.5 there so I snagged them. When I got home, I realized that they had shoestrings. He has always had velcro or crocs or slip-on sandals.)
The Elder: I can’t know how to close my pants.
(He’s also outgrowing his jeans…sigh…)
And…and…and…he got another blue card!
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So today it was pouring rain and we implemented the new morning routine. It is very visual and educational! He did great with it. He kept asking “what was next on the clock.”
When I went to go get him (I’m so grateful for pick-up lines. We always had to go inside to get our kids at preschool even in the rain), it was cute to see him in his raincoat and then at the face he was making with his tongue spazzing out because of his sensory reaction to the rain on his face. I had to pull up to let him buckle himself in because yesterday I was “scolded” for holding up the line. (I just hate teaching the kids that it is ok to be in a moving vehicle without a seatbelt, no matter how slow we are driving.) Well he wanted to take his wet jacket off first so I was helping him. He saw the playground out of the corner of his eye and said,
The Elder: You see that, Mommy?
Me: See what?
The Elder: That fing
Me: I see! It’s the playground.
The Elder: We didn’t go there today at Kindergarten
Me: Because of the rain?
The Elder: Yes. We did centers. I played with cars and trains. (surprise, surprise)
Me: Did you play by yourself or did you share nicely.
The Elder: There’s just 5 of them at each center
Me: You shared with 5 of your friends?
The Elder: Yes (and then he started jabbering about what they were playing with them, but I didn’t catch it all in order to be able to record it here)
Me: What were there names?
The Elder: I told you…I can’t know them all yet.
Oh yeah, I forgot I told you that you had plenty of time. So after I settled down after trying to get a wet raincoat off a hyperactive child (it was the pullover kind – we figured he’d stay drier that way), I pulled out and got on the road, and realized that he offered all that information on his own. I did no prompting for him to tell me what he did in school. I didn’t do it on purpose. I was on the speaker phone with The Neighbor and trying to get moving that I hadn’t had a chance to even ask. Wow. My baby is growing up. Shoestrings…highwaters…initiating conversation…who could ask for anything more. (Well, maybe not the highwaters. I’m gonna have to get those adjustable waistband pant because he is so skinny, but his legs are so long.)
Then on the way home, I asked what color was his card today and he didn’t get a blue card because I think they are doing I different reward system. The behavior marbles. My S/L Friend told me about this and actually gave me a slew of marbles but I never took them out on account of The Younger and his need to seek out choking hazards.
The Elder: When you follow the rules, you get a marble. And when it go alllll the way to the top, you get a prize.
Me: Do you put them in a jar?
The Elder: Yes! and when you get allll of dem, you win!
Me: So it’s kinda like the tickets you earn at home.
The Elder: No..they’re round. (lol, so literal!)
Me: I mean it is the same idea. You earn tickets to get a prize just like you earn marbles.
The Elder: Oh. (pause) Um, Mommy? Can I get my prize? I want that.
Me: What prize? I don’t know what you are earning at Kindergarten.
The Elder: I mean my Batter Batter Baseball.
So he got 2 tickets for his smiley faces from yesterday and today! He was so proud of himself. He finally gets it. I always knew that he was capable and able, but maybe I never believed it. I mean I did freak out when I found out he was going to Kindergarten. I was caught off-guard but what’s more was that I was afraid of his behavior with 20 kids in the same room as him when he is having a ‘moment’. I confided in The Teacher and she told me to start thinking the opposite because he can sense it and will act accordingly. I assured her that I always tell him that he can do something, be something, have something if he tries and puts enough effort to get him there. But I wonder if a small hint of uncertainty leaked out without my knowing but he sensed it.
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The Kiddos are watching The Iron Giant right now and I just heard Dean telling Hogart,
“Why do you care what those guys think? You ARE who you CHOOSE to BE.”
Wow, what a cool theme this post turned out to have. Well, I’ll close with a recording that I made of The Elder and The Younger as I was trying to get him to say “Mommy, Pick me up from Kindergarten” that I could use as a ringtone for that alarm. We got lots of crazy recordings but this is the only one that successfully converted to an mp3. Enjoy!
EIMEO Ringtone – Time to Pick Me Up from Kindergarten
