Mobile Site

Home » News Stream » Investigates »

Father’s Fight For His Autistic Son

By Kimberly Curth Weekend Anchor / Reporter

We have new information about allegations of sex abuse at a Mobile County elementary school. Father’s Fight For His Autistic Son

Published: Tue, April 01, 2008 - 6:17 pm

Kimberly Curth

We have new information about allegations of sex abuse at a Mobile County elementary school. A Semmes father claims his 7-year-old autistic son was molested by two other boys in a bathroom at Allentown Elementary School last Thursday. But, Paul Merrell claims it could have been prevented if his son would have been provided with an aide. We wanted to know why that request was not granted. But, because of Federal privacy laws, Mobile County Public School System spokesperson, Nancy Pierce, says she cannot talk about an individual case, "we aren't allowed to say a lot because we're trying to protect the child and so it's federal law that we can't give out information," said Pierce. But Pierce did tell us, to qualify for an aide a child has to be enrolled in special education and have an individualized education plan. She says not all special ed students will be given an aide. It's determined on a case by case basis. Merrell says he enrolled his son at Allentown in January as a special ed student and he says his son was given an I.E.P. But when tests showed his son's I.Q. is 120 plus, Merrell was told his son no longer qualified for special education. Despite the high I.Q., Merrell maintains his son still needs an aide because of his autism, " to look at him he looks fine and he, you know, he just, he needs his help in certain areas. I don't think anybody should stand over him 24 hours a day but I think that there are certain things that we pointed out to them that he needed help in and one of them was going to the bathroom, you know, we specifically said going to the bathroom to help him. That, it wouldn't have happened cause somebody would have been doing, you know, what we wanted all along," said Merrell.

Video

Enlarge Video

Download Video

Video RSS

Embed:

WKRG.com Related Resources

More –› Related Articles

News –› Alabama

News –› Semmes

Discuss this in the forum

Those who Recommended this also liked:

Recomend

Email to a Friend

Printer Friendly

Janet Says:

Thu, Apr 03, 2008 at 8:16 pm

Am I in error, or did the other story state that Mr.Merrel is the one who contacted WKRG?

• Report Abuse

rmseek1234 Says:

Thu, Apr 03, 2008 at 5:30 pm

tellitlikeitis,

If you don’t mind, I’m going to post your comment on the other thread on this story, where there are now over 200 responses. Seems a lot of people want to believe what they are told, and not search for the whole TRUTH, whatever that may be.

• Report Abuse

tellitlikeitis Says:

Thu, Apr 03, 2008 at 5:17 pm

I don’t see what “new information” there is… It’ s basically the same feed as the one before. Different wording. Sorry, I still don’t hear anything about “molestation”. I keep reading about “aide"… What’s going on WKRG… Report on what was brought up in the first place. Have the students that have been accused been arrested, talked to , charged? Anything.

• Report Abuse

rmseek1234 Says:

Wed, Apr 02, 2008 at 11:48 am

Amen, and thank you ionu! I don’t know if you have looked at the previous thread on this story, but it is extremely one sided. I could not agree with you more! Unfortunately there are people who are tunnel visioned who are only going to believe what they want to, without checking for truth and hard real facts.

• Report Abuse

ionu Says:

Tue, Apr 01, 2008 at 8:59 pm

The term molestation is being used.....I’m sorry, I find it hard to believe 6 or 7 year olds can be accused of molesting. Children of that age are cabable of being curious, not molesting. I have yet to see the connection.....if the child has an aide, does that mean he would not be “molested”? What is the utmost concern? If it is not having an aide, appeal IEP. If it is “molestation”, charges need to be filed. By the way, are there any charges? WKRG had no place in this.....if there was a true concern for the child, they would not have been contacted. There were many other positive ways this could have been handled.

• Report Abuse