A mother in Plainfield, Connecticut, is enraged after her ADHD-diagnosed kid was awarded a “award” by his instructor for being easily distracted. Tera Cooper couldn’t understand why the teacher at Plainfield Central School thought it was amusing to present something like this to her 13-year-old son, Derek.
Derek received a plaque labeled “#ADDaward,” which states, “Most likely to be distracted by…
look something shiny!
It also contains an image of a zombie being supported by a balloon and a little gold ribbon that reads “excellent effort.”
He had tears in his eyes, Cooper added. He feels humiliated since he has to accept it in front of his whole class. Cooper never met the instructor who bestowed the demeaning “prize” on her son, but she claims the school and the teacher were aware of Derek’s ADHD. Since he is on a 504 plan at school, she is aware of it. The mom is not sure whether the teacher thought that was hilarious, but it isn’t. She is the instructor. It’s intended to be a safe haven, Cooper said.
A 504 plan is an educational plan which can involve modifications to a child’s educational curriculum. The plans are for pupils who would not require special education but qualified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, which forbids discrimination against individuals with disabilities.
Principal Scott Gagnon issued a statement saying he was made aware of the incident and spoke with the seventh grader’s parents at the school. At that time, parents were told that, together with the central office administration, this situation will be addressed immediately since they are operating in good faith in the benefit of the kid and his family, he added.
But, Cooper said she is going to speak to a lawyer about perhaps pursuing legal action in order to maybe create change. Involve the administration more in what instructors are doing and safeguard pupils from having to deal with anything like this in the future,” she said.
Derek did earn two more awards from the same instructor, one for being the most improved in social studies and another labeled “#BermudaTriangle,” which says, “Most likely to borrow stuff and never coming back!” Cooper said that Derek informed her that a handful of other kids had won the ADD “prize” as well.
This unfortunate fiasco seems to be the product of an out-of-touch instructor attempting to be amusing. Still, it is unforgivable. Derek, a thirteen-year-old, already has enough problems at school. He doesn’t need his instructors at school making fun of his disabilities on top of that.
