A special education teacher in Iowa was fired after she reported a staff member who ignored the nonverbal cries of an autistic child as he banged his head on a concrete floor.
Amanda Delzell, 29, has been on paid leave since late last year, but was ultimately fired by the Urbandale school board in a 4-1 vote Monday night.
She said she was worried about the safety of seven-year-old Keaton Petek because one of his colleagues ignored him while he hit his head at Webster Elementary School last year.
Delzell – who said there was blood in her classroom following the incident – said she was constantly rebuffed by her supervisors, told the child’s self-harm was confidential and that she was under investigation.
It was so confidential that they apparently didn’t even tell the boy’s parents, Cody and Paige Petek, until Delzell informed them herself. The Peteks are currently filing a civil rights lawsuit against the school.
Amanda Delzell, 29, has been on paid leave since late last year, but was ultimately fired by the Urbandale school board in a 4-1 vote Monday night.
She said she was worried about the safety of 7-year-old Keaton Petek (pictured) because one of his colleagues ignored him while he hit his head at Webster Elementary School last year .
When Keaton’s parents were finally allowed to watch the video, they were horrified by what they saw.
“The special education teacher stands over him with her arms crossed across her chest or hands on her hips, without showing any type of empathy or getting down to his level,” Paige Petek told WHO13 .
Last November, Delzell described what was happening with Petek and what led her to try to report her colleague’s behavior.
“One of my students, who is autistic and non-verbal, was injured by another educator to the point where there was blood in my classroom,” Delzell told WHO13.
“The next day I went in and looked at the cameras and what I saw was that my student’s IEP and behavioral plan were not being followed, which resulted in a serious injury to him .”
Keaton’s parents say he is generally a “fun-loving, happy, resilient kid,” but because of what he faces on the spectrum, “any type of disruption to his schedule, whether whether at home or at school, can make him overstimulated.” , overwhelmed and very confused.
Delzell then describes similar behavior from the other teacher, as seen by Petek’s mother.
“I saw his teacher standing over him, allowing him to self-harm and using her foot to push him into the hallway. He was screaming while in the fetal position.
Delzell – who said there was blood in her classroom following the incident – said she was constantly rebuffed by her supervisors, told the child’s self-harm was confidential and that she was under investigation.
It was so confidential that they apparently didn’t even tell the boy’s parents, Cody and Paige Petek (pictured), until Delzell informed them herself. The Peteks are now filing a civil rights lawsuit against the school
When Keaton’s parents were finally allowed to watch the video, they were horrified by what they saw: a teacher refusing to help their son because he was self-harming.
Paige Petek said it was even worse: “They didn’t do anything to help him and at one point you see the special education teacher pushing him into the hallway with her foot while he’s screaming and crying. “
“(Keaton’s) behavior plan states that in any type of situation in which Keaton hits his head on an object or the ground, an adult will immediately intervene and block his head with the airbags. And this is supposed to be followed by a nurse who assesses him.
The nurse called Petek, saying the teacher had treated Keaton’s injury.
However, the next day, she received an email from the school principal telling her that this teacher was going to be “away for a few days”, without further explanation.
Five days later, Petek claims “another employee” – presumably Delzell – told him about the incident and “they were told not to say anything or tell the parents.”
Delzell said she was punished by the school for reporting it to parents about 10 days after the incident.
“I’m on the leadership team, I’m a model teacher, a mentor teacher, and right after my parents found out, I got a letter of reprimand saying I wasn’t meeting the standards,” she declared.
In mid-November, Delzell — who has taught in the school district since 2018 — was placed on administrative leave, which lasted until the April decision to terminate her.
Delzell said she was punished by the school for reporting it to parents about 10 days after the incident.
Cody Petek (pictured, center) called it “terrifying” that the woman who tried to do the right thing is being punished while the special education teacher who ignored Keaton’s cries still works there.
Keaton’s parents say he is generally a “fun-loving, happy, resilient kid,” but because of what he faces on the spectrum, “any type of disruption to his schedule, whether whether at home or at school, can make him overstimulated.” , overwhelmed and very confused’
Last year, Cody Petek called it “terrifying” that the woman who tried to do the right thing was being punished while the special education teacher who ignored Keaton’s cries still works there.
“These kids can’t speak and I feel like no one is looking out for the best interests of the kids.”
The family filed a civil rights lawsuit against the teacher in the video, administrators, and the Urbandale School District and its board, which chose to fire Delzell Monday night.
“Leadership starts at the top,” said Cody Petek. “They need to be held accountable for what they did and how they handled it. If they did this to our child, they will do it to others. And that’s what we want, is to make sure that this never happens again.
She was fired despite 40 people attending a school board meeting in December to express support after speaking out against a colleague’s behavior, WHO13 reported.
“We are deeply disappointed by the superintendent’s recommendation and the board’s decision,” Lori Bullock, Delzell’s attorney, said in a statement following his termination.
“We are not done with this fight. We will continue to work to hold the district accountable for how it retaliated against Ms. Delzell for doing the right thing.
The Urbandale School Board would not comment on the decision, citing privacy laws.
A Change.org petition calling for Delzell’s reinstatement has already garnered more than 600 signatures.
dailymail us
