Parents Fight to Record School Day of Son With Disabilities
January 7, 2018
By: Alanna Durkin Richer
Source: ABC News
A Maine teen with autism and a rare neurological syndrome that affects his speaking ability cannot talk to his parents about his school day the same way other students can. So his family is fighting for the right for him to carry an audio-recording device to ensure he’s being treated properly when they aren’t watching.
A novel case heading Monday to the 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Boston, which hears most New England cases, pits the student’s parents against his southern Maine school district, which says the recording device would infringe on other students’ privacy rights. His parents say they need a glimpse into his day so they can better advocate for him at a school they don’t trust isn’t always telling the whole story.
“Most kids can come home and tell their parents what happened at school or what the teacher had done or not done. He can’t do that,” said Matthew Pollack, the father of the now 18-year-old Ben…