School makes boy, 6, wear a high-vis vest to show that he’s autistic
A SCHOOLBOY with autism was made to wear a fluorescent jacket in the playground so that he stood out from other children.
Charlie Logan, six, told his mother Joanne, 42, that he had been asked to wear the jacket at breaktime to enable staff to keep an eye on him.
Mrs Logan yesterday condemned the school’s decision as ‘disgusting’.
‘It’s just not right – it’s massive discrimination,’ she said.
‘It’s not acceptable to be standing out from the other children regardless of whether you’ve got autism or not, nobody should be singled out.’
The Year One pupil at Cherry Lane Primary School in West Drayton, London, came home last week and mentioned wearing the high-vis jacket at breaktime.
Mrs Logan, a divorced single mother, said: ‘He said, “My teachers said I have to wear a bib so they know where I am at breaktimes”.’
The mother- of-five said she had not had any specific discussion with the school about the arrangement, although she accepted that the class teacher may have mentioned something about high-vis clothing to her.
‘As far as I know he’s only been made to wear it once. They tried to put it on him the day after, but I told him that by no means does he wear it,’ she said.
‘They are saying that any child who needs additional assistance in the playground needs to wear one. I don’t think he needs additional help in the playground, I think he needs more of a one-to-one.
‘He’s the only one in the playground wearing it at breaktimes, nobody else is wearing it.
‘Teachers already know that Charlie is autistic so why would they need to light him up?’
She added that staff were ‘fully aware’ of Charlie’s condition – because it was diagnosed last year by a doctor from a child development centre who came to the school.
The youngster has ‘sensory issues’ and is kept away from most other children at lunch times when the playground is chaotic with all the children playing.
Mrs Logan said there had been complaints about Charlie acting in a violent manner and hurting other children.
But she is angry at the way the school has handled her son. She added: ‘They seem to think the best way to deal with it is to make him wear a bib so that teachers know that he’s autistic.’
Mrs Logan has discussed the problem with headmaster Steve Whitehouse.
The decision was made not to make Charlie wear the jacket again.
She has kept him off school for two days and is not sure what the next step will be.
It is by no means the first time Mrs Logan has clashed with the education authorities over the treatment of an autistic son.
Her other three boys, Brendan, 18, Leighton, 16, and TJ, 12, have all been diagnosed on the autistic spectrum and she said she has resorted to legal action to force Hillingdon Borough Council to put them on an educational support plan.
Mrs Logan also has a daughter Marina, 20. The full-time mother said: ‘I’ve had to fight for all of them. It’s been an absolute nightmare I shouldn’t have to fight like this constantly.’
In a statement, the school claimed Mrs Logan was previously told about the jacket. A Cherry Lane Primary School spokesman said: ‘Decisions made con- cerning the welfare of all Cherry Lane pupils are done so on an individual needs basis.
‘We always have their safety at the forefront of our practice to ensure that some vulnerable children are constantly supported. Visibility tabards [reflective vests)]are used for a variety of reasons in our playground.
‘Parents are always consulted prior to actions taken regarding the individual needs of their children.’
‘It’s massive discrimination’