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Autistic Boy, 13, Charged With Felony For Hitting Teacher
January 12, 2012
A 13-year old autistic boy is facing a felony charge for hitting his speech therapist at an Escambia County School.
Conner Brown is charged with battery on a public or private education employee for allegedly hitting 57-year Kathy Roupe of Pensacola in the head with a set of headphones at Ferry Pass Middle School. She suffered a concussion.
Brown entered a not guilty plea in court Wednesday. He will be evaluated by a court-appointed psychologist prior to his next court appearance on March 6. His mother said Brown was not trying to hit Roupe when he threw the headphones but that she got in the way. He was allegedly throwing the headphones at another student in class that was making loud noises — which triggered his autism.
Brown will return to Ferry Pass on Monday.
Comments
38 Responses to “Autistic Boy, 13, Charged With Felony For Hitting Teacher”
i have court this monday and i want to know because i have autism what can the judge do to me when i go there i had the same thing with this kid but i did not hit nobody i run a teacher over
There is a thing called workers comp that addresses you poor individuals who may get a concusion. The same one that protects everyone else if they fall down the stairs at work. So spare us working folks with the pitty talk. The kid may not belong in this school setting and the teachers ability to sue the school is jot affected by filing charges. This teacher had the ability to make a difference instead she should be removed from her position because she is more than likely trying to get an early retirement….
REGARDING:
“A good teacher wouldn’t press charges”
Not talking about this specific instance because we don’t have all the facts but just in general do you believe a good teacher would NEVER press charges?
Is there nothing which any student could do which would EVER justify any good teacher pressing charges?
There have been students who went to school and murdered and wounded a number of fellow students and teachers. Should no teacher file charges in those instances? Perhaps a five day suspension would be in order.
This didn’t happen here and I’m not pretending it was as bad — in results, anyway — but the idea that legal protections should never be used might do a good job of clearing out teachers from the overcrowded field of education.
David for meeting needs
and treating teachers like humans
As the grandma of an autistic child I can understand noise being a trigger for behavior outbursts…my daughter and I used to have to take turns running errands because my grandson couldn’t tolerate the noise in Walmart etc.There are many different levels of Autism..I think it is wrong to judge before all the details are out..But I do agree that a special needs teacher who has been trained properly would know the triggers etc for Autism and be better prepared for episodes. I think it is sad that she is suing a child who probably has no clue about anything happening. It’s his parents who will face more stress and heartache over this..And they ,I am sure have enough already with an Autistic child.
On their side
The teacher shes trained right ?she should know something like this could happen ?
The student…needs training right ? He does not know this can happen ?
THE FIX…send the kid to prison…fire the teacher…no more problems everybodys happy…the laws happy they proved a point…schools happy cause the kids in prison….families are happy cause the teaches fired..see how stupid all this sounds..not even news worthy is it
Does he truly have autism?
Noise doesn’t trigger autism, noise triggers behaviors.
I think the teacher should know about the risks of working with a person who has autism. “In the line of duty…”. A good teacher wouldn’t press charges, a good teacher would take the chance to teach the correct behavior response.
If this boy has autism, nothing will be learned or changed by felony charges, a fine and/or juvenile detention time. I hope his parents take steps to get rid of the teacher in question- unless of corse, they are using a vague autism diagnosis as an excuse for unruly behavior and therefore get services…tricky!
REGARDING:
“Another thing. How the heck can he plea GUIILTY. Does he even understand that? REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!”
You DO understand that his plea was NOT guilty, don’t you?
Further, if he can’t understand, then he isn’t guilty even if he had killed everyone in the classroom. The judge ordered evaluation to see if he DID understand what he was doing. We tend to assume he did NOT understand, because the mother who was not in the room at the time tells us he merely intended to strike another student, not the teacher. (She knows him better than we do, but might be biased.)
The teacher should not have gotten in his way.
Better luck next time kid.
After the judge gets a report back from a qualified evaluator, what to do next should be more clear. We won’t agree with whatever decision is reached, of course, because we know better from miles away than the judge will.
David considering the two options
and their effect on the safety of all
“These kids”? “should go to another school” sounds like a good idea, however it is extremely important that a child with learning and speech dissabilities be mainstreamed as much as possible, and now that we are blessed to have “special needs”l teachers to work in many of our schools it is to the childs advantage to be mainstreamed. Only recently have we leaned that having this advantage for these special children is absolutely undeniably beneficial in their advancement. In the past children with special needs were mainstreamed and never gathered much education in their school environment….there was no understanding of their conditions and they were just considered “slow” or lacking in intelligence…However it appears that they have hidden talents that can be unleashed with the proper care and assistance in their environment and education……….
Heaven forbid, an autistic, special needs child struck a teacher!!! This is a common behavoir for special needs children, so if the teacher was well trained and adept at her supposedly expertise, she would have known how to deal with this behavior…. Thank God my special needs grandchild has exceptional teachers and helpers in her class. at Molino Park, further more if the child cannot express himself vocally how else is he to muddle through his frustration but to lash out……. apparently he needs much more specialized care. God Bless him, Its beyond me how a “teacher” ??? could charge a child with a felony, it is very sad she recieved a concusion, but if she is well trained in her vocation she would already know such outbursts and retaliation are certainly possible from special needs children. especially those that can not communicate very well…………. Hopefully she has recovered from her concussion most of us always do….. I will certainly pray for her for more reasons than the concussion.Very very sad.
Another thing. How the heck can he plea GUIILTY. Does he even understand that? REALLY!!!!!!!!!!!!!
For one, I feel these kids should go to another school for the handicapped or special needs. Two, all autistic kis are different and lot has to do with parenting and how they socialize with the kids. Now that being said as far as charges being pressed. I could understand if this were a child in his right mind. But, he has aserious problem. So do you mean to tell me that the patients in the Nursing Homes should be arrested when they hit a worker there. They do it all the time. Alzheimers patients, elderly people, etc. I also, know kids that are spoiled rotten and have their little temper tantrums. So many use the excuse, their just babies. I’ve seen one hit a parent with a toy in the head. Would we arrest them as well? Even the handicapped in mental wards. It happens, how many have been charged with a felony? THIS IS FRAKING RIDICULOUS!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I think someone should find out who the judge is, and send him some information on autism. and FIND A NEW TEACHER!
REGARDING:
“- – - sometimes cannot control themselves and sometimes have outbursts – - -”
Sometimes means not all times and not no times. (That’s grammatically correct no matter how strange it seems.)
The judge will try to figure out if this were one of those times or if it weren’t. If the child cracked the skull of an adult by accident or on purpose, the same child could crack the skull of another child by accident or on purpose.
Either way, it’s interesting to see people blame the injured party and ignore the potential danger to other children.
David for truth and safe children
Dennis,
The charges are felony charges because the incident took place on school property. It is a third degree felony to assault a teacher.
As far as training – I’m so well trained that I now work in a federal prison teaching inmates so that they can pass the GED. We know how to handle these kids – sometimes they are bigger than we are and it’s not so easy.
The thing that is bothering me so much about this whole story is that the teacher MUST be aware that these kids on the spectrum sometimes cannot control themselves and sometimes have outbursts…Did she not know these sometimes are the consequences of working with kids on the spectrum….I really think the school needs to train these teachers better and let them know that sometimes these kids can sometimes be harder to control…They mean no intentional harm…To file FELONY charges on this kid is RIDICULOUS!! I’m flabbergasted that they even would consider filing charges…..This could open the doors to other frivolous charges tying up the courts systems instead of prosecuting REAL criminals….STUPIDITY IN AMERICA..
As a special educator, I can probably explain many of the unanswered questions here. The speech therapist works with students who are challenged in the area of Language, Fluency, Articulation and Voice. The student in question was non-verbal, so he was probably getting services for language. Most speech clinicians in our county work in an individual (one on one) or small group settings if they have students with similar needs. She was not in the middle of a big class of children, most likely. It sounds to me like she was in a small group setting and her student got upset at another student and inadvertently hurt her. Now, I’ve been in the thick of it – I’ve been hit, bled on and any other number of things, but I have to say if I ever was seriously hurt, I’d probably have pressed charges too. It is not OK for anyone to hurt another person, even if that person is handicapped or not in “their right mind”. Is a drunk person (who has a disease called alcoholism) exempt from the law if they hurt someone? If the student is acting out in this way, he may need a more restrictive setting than the public school he is in.
My daughter went through Ferry Pass Middle as a special needs student, and she is doing very well at West Florida High School this year. The staff at FPMS are caring and competent. For those of you judging – what would you say if you had a concussion as the result of a student and could not work for a few weeks? What if you lost your job? What if you could not return to work because of your injuries? How about YOUR family? Don’t they deserve your efforts too? Do we just let this young man carry on like this with no action? I think not. The parents should confer with the school staff and come up with a game plan for their son that will reduce the chance of this happening again – perhaps a more sheltered setting? I agree that the young man has issues – I’ve worked with many autistic students and they are all different. We have to find what works – but they cannot hurt us and not pay any penalty for it – that’s simply not real life nor is it fair to those of us in the trenchs of the classroom today.
REGARDING:
“An IQ of 70 should”
IQ and autism aren’t tied together. I may have missed it but I didn’t see where anyone specified his IQ. There’s all kinds of ways a brain can be messed up, functioning outside the norm. Just look here.
David watching, not judging any of them
other than agreeing with the judge
seeking information
I’m curious. Why wasn’t the teacher and student isolated away from the other students in the first place? It was speech therapy. I can’t see having distractions while trying to teach speech therapy to a child with autisum?
Northender43—Is it possible that the judge was trying to get a feel of what mental level the child was? The stepfather speaking for the child would not show if the child had any understanding at all. Some where in all this must be the truth. Shouldn’t we all give it a chance to be shown. The child was not jailed– just charged.
It’s not the parents fault nor the child… A child like this can’t deal with things like a normal child trust me I know… And if a teacher, nurse or anyone else in this kinda profession can’t see your there to help and to teach them then u need to look for another job not working with kids or adults like this
Char what an excellent post, and I feel in my heart this teacher will do what is right, I don’t think she is an evil person out to get this kid, we don’t always get the whole story. I have a friend that has a son that is Autistic but he is not violent and I have never seen him show madness towards anyone, in fact if anything he is more child like than anything, kids would probably call him a sissy, it is kinda sad,
but I don’t know everything about these kids but if some get violent then we need to protect those who have the job of dealing with them everyday. I am sure this teacher knows how these kids are if she deals with them everyday, maybe there is something about what happened that we don’t know about, hopefully everything will come to light so everyone can understand why she chose to press charges. I also feel the judge will certainly take into account his health problems.
One other short comment. If the child who was making a loud sound in the class room has Tourette Syndrome and can not control this, what is the teacher to do? Which one does she remove and or what can she do? There are so many problems facing families with “special need” children. Char is on target and has part of an answer.
As nurse, I went into the profession with the understanding that many of my patients would not be capable of understanding or controlling their actions. As a result, I have been bruised, scratched, hit, and need a few stitches. It’s part of it, and I would never consider pressing charges against the patient not in their right mind. (Of course, a patient of sound mind would be another story).
I would think a speech therapist working with special needs children would need the same outlook. If not, perhaps she should find another area of work. I know it gets old to basically have no recourse when you are assaulted, but in some professions it is just part of the job.
Let’s look at another scnerio, what if he had killed or severely hurt the teacher, I
feel that maybe this will get the attention of the parents to seek possibly other options for their son. I have people in my family with mental problems, bipolar and other conditions that can make you very dangerous when you are having a manic attack, what do you do when this happens you call the police and have them Baker Acted to protect them as well as yourself and other family members.
It is very hard to have a child young or adult with issues or illnesses but you can’t make excuses for them as they are capable of hurting others. It is a sad situation but I think this may be a warning and hopefully this child can get the help he needs before he actually does hurt someone. I think this teacher was very upset at the time but I am sure when things dies down she will work with the authorities
to try and get this worked out so the child will get help not go to jail or detention, the prisons are loaded with people who are not all bad but make bad choices because they have mental issues. And don’t kid yourself these people are capable of hurting others.
Any of you with Autistic children remember how hard it was for you with one?
Any of you remember getting mad, hurt, tired, stressed?
Any of you remember how long it took you to just LEAN TO deal with YOURS?
Every one of these kids are different. It says this teacher got a concussion.
Any of you people ever got a concussion? Do you know how bad some of
them hurt? Do you know how long they can affect you? YOU CAN HAVE
PROBLEMS YEARS LATER FROM SOME OF THEM.
Sometimes everyone needs to take a step BACK!
Sometimes mothers and fathers need to remember BACK!
Then think about how many kids this teacher deals with at a time
every single day.
IT TAKES A SAINT! SO SHE ISN’T A SAINT! ARE YOU?
THE TEACHER: She is hurt and probably tired of it right now.
THE POLICE: Maybe they don’t know these kids.
THE DISTRICT ATTORNEY: MAYBE HE HAS ONE, BUT HE ISN’T VIOLENT.
THE JUDGE: REALLY! THEY MAKE BAD CALLS ALL THE TIME, or at least
calls none of us agree with.
TEACHER you need to take a step back and drop the charges if it’s not
too late.
PARENTS your job for a while should be to teach him to keep his hands
to himself and not throw things no matter what.
JUDGE….WE ALL KNOW THIS KID IS NOT UP TO PAR….DROP IT!
AND YES WE HAVE AN AUTISTIC GRANDCHILD!!!!! WE GET IT !
An IQ of 70 should put this child in the age range of a 7 to 8 year old. At this point he should be able to understand that you do not hit another “special need child” or an adult. I understand the sadness of having a special need child, but what happens to him when he gets mad at some one as he gets older. I have seen families who made a special effort to keep a retarded child at home. Upon the parents death the person can not understand what happen and has to be placed in an institution. At some point we all die and what will happen to this child then?
>> WHY was this minor child’s name released? He is supposed to be protected by the law….I realize it’s your job to report the news, but personally, I would NEVER have printed this poor child’s name.
His named was released because he was charged with a felony. The names of juveniles charged with felonies are public record in Florida.
We ran his name because it was public record, and because it’s been on all the TV and radio stations, and his mom has done the interview circuit. It would have been pointless to withhold it.
WHY was this minor child’s name released? He is supposed to be protected by the law, not thrown to the wolves. This is a crock of you know what. The teacher should know better and so should the police, the judge and everyone else involved in this.
William,
I realize it’s your job to report the news, but personally, I would NEVER have printed this poor child’s name.
@Janet she may have had as much control as is possible with these special needs kids. Some kids make noises due to their disability. So sometimes it is hard to balance the effects of the disabilities.
I honestly can’t believe she is pressing charges. I worked on the school buses with the special needs kids and have come home with bite marks and bruises etc due to dealing with these children and their disabilities. I’m sorry she suffered a concussion but really? I love and miss those kids. It is a very hard job, but you have to love them unconditionally and have a passion for it or you should not be working with these children!!!!r
Let’s see if I understand this. Child is autistic. Child is put in a speech therapy class because child is autistic. Teacher files criminal complaint when child acts out as an autistic child does. Judge has zero understanding of autism and doesn’t care to learn same as a professional who is supposed to work with such children every day.
That is government in action, improving lives.
What a waste of tax payers money. The boy has problems, thats why he is in a special class.
The teacher has problems and should not be in a special class or maybe even school.She needs to be replaced in the special class at least.
Then you have a “judge” that does not have a clue. The judge is supposed to help and protect the people that can,t take care of themselves. Come on folks, help vote this type out.
The there is the school board. Will they do anything? They never have so don,t expect anything from this bunch. This is the bull that take our tax money, pats themself on the back, and then won,t more of our money to waste. Oh I get so mad!!
i think this teacher needs 2 go back 2 school and look up autism and other behavorial conditions cause this shouldnt even be brought out like this..this is rediculus and heart welming cause this boy don’t even realize what he did do much less have an clear understanding on y he has 2 be n confined environment without his parents..wow this story i feel for this boy and his family cause this is very traumatic..this teacher needs 2 revaluate her profession,i mean seriously..he’s a special needs child not a average child with anger issues.
My Niece Has Autism, and can not stand Loud Noises of any kind Like Most ALL Autistic Kids, SERIOUSLY JUDGE !!!!!! WHATS UP WITH YOU !!!!! , AND THE TEACHER, IF SHE CALLS HER SELF THAT,
This is ridiculous!!!!! A felony charge for some headphones? That teacher needs Jesus in her life! I could understand a book or a stabler but headphones? Prolly didn’t even leave a red mark! SET THE BOY FREE AND THE PARENTS NEED TO SUE THE TEACHER!!!
I know Connor’s mother… She is extremely upset over this situation …. The teacher should have a better understanding of these children … The court system isn’t any better… The mother told me that the judge asked Connor if he understood what was going on and Connor’s step-father answered for him (Connor doesn’t speak) and the judge reprimanded the man when he tried to tell the judge this… The judge was told multiple times that Connor is Autistic.
C’mon, really. most autistic kids don’t like loud noises. it hurts their ears everyone know that. my nephew is autistic. he can’t be around fireworks, parades with sirens, etc. someone messed up on this one.
I can’t imagine a boy with autism being charged with a felony. I agree with “Seriously”; this should be on the ridulcous list. It also sounds as if the teacher didn’t have control in the class if she couldn’t quiet down the other student making loud noises. I’m really happy my children are grown. I wouldn’t want to be raising any kids these days.
Seriously! Was she hurt? If not, right out ridiculous of the teacher!