Parents from New York are demanding action from the school board of the Bedford Central School District after disturbing photos of special needs students from Fox Lane High School were posted and shared on social media.
Mom Karen Close told CBS News that this has been a difficult time for her family after discovering that her son with autism has a compromising photo on the internet. She said that they are still waiting for answers and action from the school board against the ones who have been victimizing their children.
Close said that they did not find out about the pictures right away. It took the mother months to learn about the compromising photos while she was in an unrelated meeting with her son's teacher. She also found out that the school did not get the police involved when the violation should have been reported.
Read Also: Parents Raising $800,000 to Buy Mountaineer's School of Autism Building to Prevent Shutdown
How Disturbing Were the Photos?
Close said that the other Fox Lane High School kids who took the photos of the special needs students entered the boy's bathroom and "forced" the vulnerable children to expose their naked buttocks. The kids then took selfies with the compromising images in the background and posted these online.
The mother said that her son with autism could not understand what the other kids did, and as a mom, Close said she's also struggling to comprehend what prompted the culprits to even consider doing this to their vulnerable classmates.
According to the other parents, some special needs students are non-verbal, so they couldn't say no to culprits or report what happened to their teachers and parents, per the Daily Voice. After learning of the incident, some of the parents even offered monetary rewards for information on who was responsible for this incident because they were not disappointed with the school's failure.
"To me, it is absolutely despicable and it speaks to the culture that we have here and it's not a good one," Close said.
An educator whose autistic child is also under the school district said that the actions and decisions in this matter have been "unspeakable" and "horrific." She said that parents entrust their children to teachers like her since the school is the students' second home. However, she observed that there had been problems with transparency from the school, and the community didn't foster respect for special needs kids.
Independent Investigation Ongoing
The Bedford Central School District voted to let an independent probe handle the allegations following the outrage. According to Patch, the culprits may be liable for abuse, bullying, and even sexual exploitation of special needs students.
Close, however, said that this incident must be regarded as a "federal hate crime" against special needs kids. She and her family have also filed a police report separately.
The incidents apparently happened two times in December 2021 and March 2022. However, the school only informed the parents in April. Brett Miller, the Fox Lane High School principal, also told the parents that the culprits would face disciplinary action, but there have been no reported charges so far.
Related Article: Ben Carpenter, Single Gay Man With 5 Adopted Kids with Disabilities, Adopts 6th Child
