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Five School Staff Members Fired for Leaving Student Behind

Posted: 5/6/2009 at 02:20 PM

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School bus facing away from the cameraFive Brunswick County (North Carolina) School District employees were fired Tuesday night for abandoning a student with developmental disabilities behind on a field trip.

 

The five employees -- a bus driver, two teachers and two theraputic assistants -- had been suspended with pay after leaving 16-year-old Tad Speidell behind in Greenfield Lake Park on April 23.

 

Dina Locklear, a bystander, had noticed that the teachers were about to leave a group of students behind. According to Locklear, the teachers went back to collect the group, but in doing so left Tad behind. Locklear found Tad, who was unable to give her his name or address, called Wilmington police and eventually was able to contact his parents.

 

Tad's mother, Pamela Speidell, claims this is not the first time she has been unhappy with South Brunswick High School's treatment of Tad, and that she is amazed that the former employees had not done a head count.

 

Related: More stories on developmental disabilities

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  • squabwithfibro wrote on May 7, 2009 at 12:27 AM
    Very disturbing.
  • ecrowley wrote on May 7, 2009 at 10:14 AM
    Wow, yeah I had read something about this yesterday morning...I'm just glad the school did something about it. Awful.
  • dailydoz.com wrote on May 8, 2009 at 12:30 PM
    Your story was featured in dailydoz.com! Here is the link to vote it up and promote it: http://dailydoz.com/News/Five_School_Staff_Members_Fired_for_Leaving_Student_Behind
  • Twitted by vvb wrote on May 11, 2009 at 1:48 PM
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  • Disabled Politico wrote on May 11, 2009 at 6:46 PM
    Eight families with children who have disabilities are suing the Ontario government over what they say
  • Abram wrote on May 12, 2009 at 8:08 PM
    Everyone knows darn well a head count would have prevented Tad from being left behind. This bologna of suspension with pay is bologna, and is not an action which would act to prevent further abuses of the disabled. While it might give those five staff members a clue, it does not teach them, or others of their profession, the facts of required responsibilities in their profession. Instead it teaches them that, if they mess up, it's ok, they get a second chance. I thank God, Dina Locklear, was there for Tad, has her payment is in full, of her responsibility for others.
  • Nanal wrote on May 13, 2009 at 8:19 AM
    Thank goodness for a bystander who not only noticed Tad..............but........did something about it !. What if she hadn't noticed ? Scary !!!!!!......Sad story...........peace and love......Norma
  • richard wrote on May 16, 2009 at 2:36 PM
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    all the people that left Tad behind should get fired because that did not walk through the bus on check to see if there was anyone left on the school bus
  • rainey826 wrote on May 17, 2009 at 5:44 PM
    Come on you do a head count over and over and over ~ they all should be fired ! SHAME ON THEM ALL there are no excuses for this . xo
  • bearlover09 wrote on Jun 21, 2009 at 10:29 PM
    Extremely disturbing yes. It's not that difficult to do a head count over and again. All the "what if's" going through my mind; if the bystander had not reacted and found Tad...Come on people. Use a bit of common sense in supervising any child or student (disabled or not!)