A cage in a classroom? It sounds so horribly wrong, but it's sadly more common than most parents expect. A principal was recently fired after it was discovered a cage was built solely for the purpose of containing a 10-year-old boy with special needs.
While this particular story took place in Canberra, Australia, classroom cages are sadly not unheard of in the United States, either. Just last school year a 7-year-old special needs girl in Fresno, CA was locked in a cage by her teacher, and in another instance a young boy was painfully handcuffed.
Regardless of whether or not a child has special needs, no child, no human being, should be locked in a cage at their place of education. It is dehumanizing and degrading. If a child has behavioral issues this certainly doesn't address them, especially if the parents aren't notified about the procedure.
After the boy, whose name was kept anonymous, was discovered, outrage sparked immediately amongst parents.
See photos and more of the story below.
h/t: ABC/The Mighty/IBT Times
The 6.5-square-foot cage was built specifically for the boy with special needs. Faculty labelled the cage a "sanctuary," to normalize its use amongst staff, the boy, and the other students.
The principal, who contrived the idea, said, in an apology, "The school intended that this space provide sanctuary in response to the needs of a student. The space was clearly unacceptable."
The cage cost the school $5,195 and was approved by the administration.
"I don't think anyone should be locked up in a cage. They are not criminals, they are just children that need help, not to be locked away," said an anonymous parent, outraged by the situation.
"Let's label it a sanctuary, stick up a photo and it won't look and feel so bad," another parent said.
As of right now the principal has been fired and Australian officials are ensuring that other classrooms aren't equipped with the "classroom" cages.
What do you think? Are classroom cages appropriate for so-called "difficult" students or do they have no place in a school? Let us know in the comments!
Please SHARE if you would be mortified to see your child in a cage when you went to pick him or her up!
