Mom Says Her Son Is Facing Expulsion Hearing After Getting Locked In School Auditorium 'Against His Will'
The mom of a child with special needs is standing up against the school system and its unjust treatment of her child.
TikTok A mom is speaking out against the school system after her 10-year-old son was suspended and is facing an expulsion hearing due to his mental health symptoms.
Alexis Watts took to TikTok in Novemeber 2022 to stand up for her son, who has “autism spectrum disorder, and ADHD and ODD.” Watts notes that “he has not only been suspended, but we just received a letter stating that he’s going to have to go through an expulsion hearing.”
She rants against the school that is “potentially going to expel [her] son because he has mental health symptoms."
The mom says her son with special needs is facing expulsion after getting locked in a school auditorium ‘against his will.’
The US Department of Education claims that an “IEP [Individualized Education Program] is the cornerstone of a quality education for each child with a disability.”
The Department of Education outlines the 10-step process to obtaining and implementing an IEP, which includes assessment of the student, further services provided to the student, progress reported to parents, and review of the IEP and reevaluation of the student every three years.
Yet Watts states that her son’s school administration has “broken his IEP multiple times, which is against the law,” and also have “taken things out of his IEP without parental consent, which is illegal.”
“Let me be clear,” she explains. “We are not upset with his teacher. She’s been the best thing to happen for him, literally, the reason why we drive back to this school that’s 25 minutes outside of our town because she’s that amazing.”
“We’re not mad at her at all. We are mad at the system,” Watts says. “The system for special ed kids and all kids in the public school system needs to change. There should be certain policies and procedures set in place to keep our kids safer. Parents should be more informed.”
Watts’ anger at the administrative system and policies in place is derived from a fierce love for her child, and the understanding that her son needs extra support in school.
She explains, ‘Because my son has demonstrated mental health symptoms, he has to attend an expulsion hearing, instead of being supported by his IEP and supported by the system.’
Watts’ frustration was evident, although she explained, “I am trying to stay as calm as I possibly can but in no way should we be living in a world in which our children are going to start being not only suspended but expelled from public schools, due to their mental health symptoms.”
Watts expressed her valid opinion that “the system should be better to meet these children’s symptoms.”
She noted that the academic system isn’t set up to accommodate children with special needs. “Not only are you failing my child and not helping to set him up for success, but you’re trying to set him up for failure,” she exclaimed.
“We’ll be pursuing further action because policies and systems and procedures need to be changed, not just in this school, but for schools everywhere.”
She ended her post with a call to action for other parents, stating, “Parents, don’t accept just anything from schools. Advocate for your children in an appropriate manner.”
Watts exemplifies the fact that parents want what is best for their children, and the baseline of care should be expecting kids to feel safe at school, and not as though they’re under attack, or being set up to fail. As a parent, Watts knows she’s her son’s best advocate, and she’ll speak out against unjust action towards her child.
Alexandra Blogier is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team. She covers celebrity gossip, pop culture analysis and all things to do with the entertainment industry.