Monday, August 23, 2010

In California, disabled teen bused to wrong school for 3 days before school district realized error

From UPI:

SACRAMENTO, Calif. -- A teenager with cerebral palsy was bused to the wrong Sacramento area school for three days before the district realized its error.

John Spear, 15, of Elverta was enrolled in Miles P. Richmond, a small special school for the disabled, but the Twin Rivers Unified School District bus driver instead delivered him to nearby Highlands High School, the Sacramento Bee reported August 20.

The mistake was discovered when a receptionist at the first school called his mother Monday to find out where he was.

"They placed him in a special needs class with a bunch of kids in wheelchairs," Dana Spear said. "They didn't even know his name, for God's sake. They didn't even know who he was."

John, who gets around in a motorized wheelchair, has severe cognitive impairments and is legally blind, his mother said.

They had visited Richmond to prepare him for the stressful transition, Dana Spear said. John had even memorized its name, she said. After her son's disappearance came to light August 23, Richmond's principal went to Highlands High and found him.

Twin Rivers administrators expressed dismay at the events and said Thursday they were investigating.