Is School Blaming Autistic Student for Alleged Sexual Abuse? Letter to the Editor

To the Editor,

Last month the Novi Patch posted a story about a lawsuit that was filed against our Novi School District. The lawsuit and the response by the defendants (the Novi Community School District, our superintendent, the principal and two teachers) are both public record.

Related:

• Parents: Novi School Officials Did Nothing to Stop Son’s Sexual Abuse

The lawsuit by the parents of a 13 year old autistic student alleges that their son was sexually abused by a student who is one foot taller than their son and weighs more than 200 pounds. They allege the abuse occurred almost daily during class at Novi Middle School. The lawsuit further alleges that at least five staff members were aware of “inappropriate touching” between the students and ineffectively told them to stop. As a result, their son (the victim) has suffered from suicidal thoughts, self-hatred, fright and shock, denial of social pleasures and enjoyments, shame, feelings of despair, helplessness, isolation, and severe anxiety. Their son’s therapist reports that he was subjected to threats and intimidation by the 6-foot, 4-inch student who abused him and remains terrified of the abuser to this day.

In contrast, the recent official response to the lawsuit by the defendants actually states that “any and all injuries suffered by (the autistic student) is/are the result of (his) own conduct/contributory conduct, consensual conduct.”

It appears to me that our Superintendent and our administration actually blame a minor with autism for being sexually abused under their watch. Unbelievable!

– Dr. Daniel Dubay, MD, Novi