Mom Goes to Pick up Son from School, Sees Him Sitting in a Duffel Bag as Punishment

When a mother went to pick up her boy from school, she was incredibly appalled by what she witnessed. It turned out that her son had been penalized in a reportedly cruel way for being unruly. Keep reading to discover the complete story.

Often, elders can use various ways to teach children valuable and life-altering lessons. Some like doing things the hard way and might resort to strict methods to ensure their words are heard and understood. Others might use a polite voice to get their word across.

While there's no definitive way of teaching kids a lesson, it's important to act empathetically and treat them with kindness and love. The story we're sharing today is about a woman whose son experienced anything but empathy in a place that was meant to be his second home.

A SHOCKING SIGHT

Sandra Baker from Harrodsburg, Kentucky, had no idea what awaited her at her child's school, at least not until she went there and saw things for herself. In December 2011, Sandra said she received a call from her son Christopher Baker's elementary school because he was acting up.

The mother said she was downright shocked when she arrived at the Mercer County Intermediate School and saw a big green duffel bag in front of her. She told CNN:

"I saw a big green bag with the drawstring pulled and the (teacher's) aide sitting next to him. As I approached the bag, I heard Christopher say, 'Who's out there?'"

THE LIVID MOTHER

Sandra explained that the bag was made of net and contained a few plastic balls in addition to her nine-year-old son. She said she looked at the aide and demanded that her son be removed from the bag immediately.

However, Sandra added she became alarmed when the aide struggled to untie the bag. The concerned mom further said:

"What if he had gotten sick, you know? Like what if he couldn’t breathe or a fire broke out?"

THE YOUNGSTER'S REACTION

The Harrodsburg resident said that when her son came out of the bag, he was "sweaty and shook up." She also recalled:

"When I got him out of the bag, his poor little eyes were as big as half dollars and he was sweating."

VOICING THEIR CONCERNS

Sandra shared that her son was enrolled in the school's program for autistic children and might not have known whether he was being punished or participating in some sort of a "game." Moreover, Christopher's grandmother, Debra White, also voiced her concerns and said:

"How will they [school authorities] feel if they were put in that bag or their kids [were put in the bag]?"

A few days later, Sandra said she had a meeting with the school authorities and was told that her son had smirked at the teacher when he was instructed to put down a basketball, which he then threw across the room.

THE ONLINE PETITION

Moreover, the Kentucky mother said the bag was described as a "therapy bag" by the school officials, though she had no idea what that meant. She also said she was told that her son had been punished in a similar manner before.

Lydia Brown, an intern with the autistic lobby group who started the petition after reading about the case, said she felt the story struck a chord with many parents of autistic children.

The head of Mercer County public schools issued a statement following Sandra's accusations, which said they were investigating the particular incident. However, Sandra said the school head never reached out to her personally nor apologized for what her son was put through.

The harrowing incident was said to have sparked a national campaign. Thousands of people signed an online petition to the Kentucky board of education on change.org, calling for effective and immediate action against the responsible parties.

A MOTHER'S HOPE

Meanwhile, Sandra also recounted that she heard different stories about her son's behavior that day. The distraught mom said she hoped that, if not dismissed, the school employees could at least be provided proper training on handling youngsters.

Lydia Brown, an intern with the autistic lobby group who started the petition after reading about the case, said she felt the story struck a chord with many parents of autistic children. She added:

"If this had happened to anyone else, it would be condemned as abuse, but because it was a teacher to an autistic student it was called therapy."

What are your thoughts on this story? Do you think the particular method used to penalize the youngster was unjustified and cruel? Have you ever encountered any similar incidents where children were punished in an unacceptable manner?

Please don't forget to share this story with your family and friends to raise awareness around this particular issue. Click here to read another story where a little boy was secluded from the rest of his classmates by a box as punishment for a month.