A celebration of summer nearing quickly turned into a cringe-worthy moment for one set of parents at Bailly Preparatory Academy in Gary, Indiana. The parents of special needs student Akalis Castejon were horrified when the teacher awarded him with the “Most Annoying Male,” and the school’s name was even misspelled on the trophy.
“So when they called him up, they’re calling the names, and they were like, ‘most annoying male award,’” his father told WGN-TV. “I wasn’t expecting that, not for an autistic kid, at all.”
The student is non-verbal, tends to rock back and forth and can become emotional.
Akalis, who struggles with understanding subtext or sarcasm, was excited to go home and show his mom. When his mom saw it, she was outraged and immediately confronted the school.
“For a teacher to do that, I believe it was a huge mistake. I also feel it’s how she feels about my son,” she said.
The school district came out with a statement in which they “sort of” condemned the teacher.
“The Gary Community School Corporation does not condone this type of behavior and will continue to put the safety and well-being of our students first. We extend our deepest apologies to the impacted student, the family, and anyone else who takes offense to this unfortunate occurrence.”
His dad tried to leave the trophy behind, but the teacher insisted he take it home.
It has not yet been determined, but the school teacher could actually have a chance of keeping her job. It is noted that the teacher did not attend the class graduation.
The family was on their last day at that school, as they are moving to a nearby town and sending Akalis to a new school.
