DONIPHAN, Mo. (KAIT/Gray News) – A Missouri mother wants accountability after her 9-year-old son, who has autism, ate handfuls of pea gravel while at school.
Candice Whitlow’s 9-year-old son has autism and is nonverbal. She says he needs constant supervision from an aide at his school in the Doniphan R-1 School District. Whitlow noticed Feb. 25 that her son had gravel in his stool after he returned home from school, so she took him to the emergency room, KAIT reports.
“We were not expecting what we saw when we got the X-ray at all,” she said.
When Whitlow was shown her son’s abdominal X-ray, she says she saw large amounts of gravel throughout his intestinal tract, terrifying her. While the 9-year-old was able to go home that night, she originally wasn’t sure that would be the case. Doctors spoke to Whitlow about possibly taking her son to Cardinal Glennon Children’s Hospital in St. Louis.
Whitlow says her son didn’t eat the gravel at home. She says the only other place it could have happened was at school.
“You send your kid to school thinking they’re going to be in an environment that is nurturing, and he’s with professionals who are knowledgeable about autism and what their needs are,” Whitlow said. “Needs have not been met.”
Whitlow contacted the school district, and the school started an investigation. She also filed a report with the Doniphan Police Department.
Whitlow was told by Superintendent Mike Owen that surveillance video showed the incident on the playground where her son ate the pea gravel. The mother was able to watch the video.
“Watching the video from the day prior, before we took him [Whitlow’s son] to the emergency room, you could see him bend over a few times in the video and see he put rocks in his mouth,” Whitlow said. “We only caught her [her son’s aide] on the video one time right before they went inside for recess digging rocks out of his mouth.”
In the police report, Cpl. Kevin Vaillancourt reviewed the same footage from the school. He said it was clear the aide with Whitlow’s son, Goldie Hall, remained with him the entire time they were on the playground. At one point, she walked over to Whitlow’s son and had him spit something out of his mouth.
Vaillancourt later went to Hall’s house to confront her about the incident. She told police she was suspended from the school due to Whitlow’s son eating the rocks on the playground under her care. She also told police she never saw Whitlow’s son eating a “significant” amount of gravel.
In Hall’s statement to police, she told them the 9-year-old’s normal aide and his teacher were asleep in the classroom when she went by to pick him up and take him outside. She added this wasn’t the first time she’s found them asleep.
“Hall stated she has taken pictures and reported them several times to her supervisor, Dee Burton. Hall stated it only resulted in her being removed from the classroom, and her co-workers telling everyone that Hall is a tattletale,” said Vaillancourt in his report.
This was the first time Whitlow heard these allegations. She said she felt blindsided and was horrified at the possibility.
“The hard part is my son is nonspeaking, so he can’t tell me,” Whitlow said. “This is what we know, but what do we not know?”
Owen sent KAIT the following statement regarding the incident:
“Although the District is prohibited from providing specific details about personnel and student matters, the individual is no longer employed by the District.
Professionalism is a core component of our mission, and the District remains keenly focused on our commitment to provide a quality education in a productive and safe environment for all of our students and staff.
As demonstrated by our Board policies and practice, the District promptly investigates complaints and takes the necessary remedial steps in response. We encourage students and families to bring any concerns to our attention so they may be addressed appropriately and in a timely manner.”
Owen also said the district is reviewing Hall’s accusations about the aide and teacher sleeping on the job.
Whitlow says her son is doing OK now, but with the new allegations, she feels like the school is sweeping them under the rug. She wants accountability and more resources given to special education classrooms.
“I feel like our school has a lot of work to do in terms of making sure that not only my child but any other child in special education is getting the care and the education that they need,” Whitlow said.
Whitlow’s son is back in school with a new teacher and paraprofessional.
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