An autistic child was punched by a New York paraprofessional on school grounds, resulting in the student’s family suing the city of New York, the Department of Education, and the paraprofessional.
On August 7 2014, in Brooklyn, New York, thirteen year old, Anatoly Veltman was spilling ice and throwing napkins on the floor of his school cafeteria, which resulted in the paraprofessional, Milton Parker reprimanding him. Anatoly then made a racial comment towards Parker, who is African-American. After apologizing, Anatoly attempted to hit the paraprofessional, and in response was hit by Parker. The video from the surveillance camera captured the incident, which took place at Public School 225 in Brighton Beach. It was a year after the event, when the judge allowed the video to be released.
“When I heard about this, I was really shocked, because I don’t know anyone who would hurt someone else with special needs. My uncle has autism, so I know that Anatoly’s helper hitting Anatoly can really have a negative impact. It’s already very difficult for people with autism and their families. That guy (Parker) made it even more difficult for the Veltmans,” NHS freshman Kayla Yacovelli said.
Immediately after the incident, Anatoly was treated at Coney Island Hospital. He has sustained a concussion and severe bruising. Anatoly who has the mental capacity of a six year old, has not only dealt with the physical pain, but emotional pain as well. Anatoly Veltman Senior, Anatoly’s father claimed that his son’s autism has worsened. He told the press that as he and his son were passing the public school, Anatoly ran away from his father, since he is frightened to return to the building.
“I think that it’s really horrible that a student was punched by one of the staff members at a school. It’s even worse that the student’s autism has gotten worse. It really shows that emotional scars can be worse and longer than physical ones,” NHS freshman Elizabeth Browning said.
Parker was arraigned for charges of assault, harassment, and endangering the welfare of a child. Although, Parker was initially charged with felony assault by police, he pleaded guilty last April to misdemeanor assault, and was sentenced to attend anger management classes. After working 26 years for the Department of Education, he is now retired and receives a pension. Apparently he is unapologetic, because he claimed that his punch was a reflex, since this was the first time a student hit him.
Veltman is filing a lawsuit for failing to protect Anatoly, lack of supervision, and inadequate training. The family’s civil rights attorney, Sanford Rubenstein is representing the Veltmans with the five million dollar lawsuit. Veltman reported that this lawsuit would act as a message to all paraprofessionals. Another paraprofessional who was present at the scene, said that she did not see either of the two throw a punch. Rubenstein said that the woman was definitely lying, because in the video she is near Anatoly and Parker. It also appears that she was looking directly at her former co-worker and student, when the incident occurred.
“Although, it was really wrong of a helper to punch a student with special needs, I wonder if it was just a reflex. It could have been an accident. It’s good that he was fired, because someone who works at a school should never react the way he did, but if it was an honest mistake, I don’t think he should face anymore punishment,” Browning said.
Parker claimed that the event was an honest accident that destroyed his life, because he no longer has a career and his reputation is ruined. He reported that he did not intentionally hurt Anatoly, and that if he wanted to hurt the student, he wouldn’t have punched him in front of everyone in the cafeteria. He also said that there is no point to suing him, due to the fact that he does not possess the sufficient assets to pay for the lawsuit.
“It’s important for all people who work with kids with disabilities to know how to handle certain situations. I get that it’s bad that the kid hit his helper, but the helper should have done something else, and definitely not respond with violence. Kids are supposed to feel safe at school, and Milton Parker made that hard for Anatoly Veltman. He should have given him some other kind of punishment. Hopefully this incident acts as a lesson for other people who work with kids who have special needs,” NHS freshman Matthew Budd said.
The Veltmans, along with many other people believe that it is extremely wrong for a paraprofessional to physically hurt a child with special needs, even if the child is the first one to act violent. The family of Anatoly Veltman is clearly determined to win this lawsuit, and have stated that they are not only doing this for Anatoly, but for all children with special needs.
Image Courtesy of abc7ny.com