From the Naperville Sun. http://www.wbbm780. com/pages/ 685075.php? contentType= 4&contentId=692177
Naperville , Ill. - Two judges have said Naperville School District 203 held an autistic student "hostage" to "blackmail" his parents into agreeing to its plans for his education. Killian Hynes, a nonverbal, autistic 6-year-old Naperville boy, communicates using a device known as a Tango. It's as important to Killian as a wheelchair to a child with a physical disability, said his father, Kevin Hynes, 43. That's why the Hyneses took legal action when Naperville School District 203 withheld Killian's communication device. "I know my rights, and I know my son's rights," said Kevin, a lawyer, as is his wife, Beth, 44. Judges who recently ruled on the case had harsh words for District 203. Federal Judge Milton Shadur asked District 203 the same question posed to notorious U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy in 1954: "Have you no shame?" The Tango was an agreed-upon provision in Killian's individual education plan with District 203. The 6-year-old was bored and regressing at Summitt School Early Learning Center in Elgin , Kevin said. So they made arrangements to send him to a more expensive but more technologically advanced Carol Stream program. District 203 administrators agreed Killian wasn't getting what he needed at Summit but expressed concerns about the costs of the Carol Stream program. Then when Killian's summer IEP was set to begin, District 203 administrators told him he couldn't have his Tango. District 203's legal counsel, Laura Sinars, indicated the only way the district would provide Killian the device was if the Hyneses agreed to send him to a program the district preferred. "That's coercion," Kevin said. Judges agreed. Shadur said, "The undisputed picture here is regrettably one of the defendants holding, I guess, a 6-year-old autistic boy hostage," Shadur said, sending the case to DuPage County Circuit Court for trial. There, Judge Bonnie Wheaton ruled District 203 was to immediately provide the Tango.
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Judges: School Held Autistic Student 'Hostage'
From the Naperville Sun.
http://www.wbbm780. com/pages/ 685075.php? contentType= 4&contentId=692177
Naperville , Ill. - Two judges have said Naperville School District 203
held an autistic student "hostage" to "blackmail" his parents into agreeing
to its plans for his education.
Killian Hynes, a nonverbal, autistic 6-year-old Naperville boy,
communicates using a device known as a Tango. It's as important to Killian
as a wheelchair to a child with a physical disability, said his father,
Kevin Hynes, 43.
That's why the Hyneses took legal action when Naperville School
District 203 withheld Killian's communication device.
"I know my rights, and I know my son's rights," said Kevin, a lawyer,
as is his wife, Beth, 44.
Judges who recently ruled on the case had harsh words for District
203. Federal Judge Milton Shadur asked District 203 the same question posed
to notorious U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy in 1954: "Have you no shame?"
The Tango was an agreed-upon provision in Killian's individual
education plan with District 203.
The 6-year-old was bored and regressing at Summitt School Early
Learning Center in Elgin , Kevin said. So they made arrangements to send him
to a more expensive but more technologically advanced Carol Stream program.
District 203 administrators agreed Killian wasn't getting what he
needed at Summit but expressed concerns about the costs of the Carol Stream
program.
Then when Killian's summer IEP was set to begin, District 203
administrators told him he couldn't have his Tango.
District 203's legal counsel, Laura Sinars, indicated the only way the
district would provide Killian the device was if the Hyneses agreed to send
him to a program the district preferred.
"That's coercion," Kevin said.
Judges agreed.
Shadur said, "The undisputed picture here is regrettably one of the
defendants holding, I guess, a 6-year-old autistic boy hostage," Shadur
said, sending the case to DuPage County Circuit Court for trial. There,
Judge Bonnie Wheaton ruled District 203 was to immediately provide the
Tango.