Texas school fines 10-year old boy with Asperger’s Syndrome

October 7, 2009 by Cathy Ribble  
Filed under: News

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Travis Elementary School

Parents and teachers around the world are adding their opinion to the story from El Paso, Texas, concerning Charity Walka’s 10-year-old son.

News of the story spread when TV stations started polling viewers for opinions as to whether the Texas school had gone too far.  The Travis Elementary School student was issued a Class C misdemeanor and fined $260 when he kept falling asleep in class.  After his removal from the classroom, the young boy began making noise in the hallway, dropped to the floor and refused to get up.

While teachers tend to support the school’s position, many parents are siding with Charita Walka saying the school went too far in this instance.  Under the Texas Education Code and other school authorities throughout the country, students may be issued tickets and fines for inappropriate behavior.

According to KFOXTV of El Paso, Charity Walka is a single mom whose son suffers from Asperger’s Syndrome.  She does not believe her son understood what he was doing.  The boy had been placed in a regular classroom after a problem at the school with his paperwork.  He has now been transferred to another school which handles his needs.  Ms. Walka opposed the fine, and the ticket was eventually dismissed.

Asperger’s Syndrome is an autism spectrum disorder.  Its patients have difficulty with social interaction as well as restricted and repetitive patterns of behavior and interests.  Physical clumsiness and atypical use of language are frequently reported.  The exact cause is unknown, but research suggests that it could be a genetic issue.  Many individuals improve over time with the intervention of behavioral therapies, but some continue to have problems into adult life.

Ms. Walka takes her son to several doctors a month, but she is having difficulty finding a doctor who will accept her insurance so that he receives proper treatment.

To read opinions expressed and register your own opinion concerning whether the school went too far, visit ‘The Rant’ Public Forum.

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