Trevor Hibbert, took to Facebook to post pictures and videos of his severely distressed son—handcuffed in the back of a police car, and comments: “The damage you have done to my son and the years of progress that has been setback are irreparable.”
Abraham Hibbert, 11, is diagnosed with autism. His dad says he ran off from Endeavour Middle School in Lancaster after kicking a school employee while he was being restrained. School officials called sheriff’s deputies for help to find the boy. Later, Abraham was cuffed by deputies after he was found wandering a mile away from Endeavour Middle School.
This incident did not happen just once. Abraham’s father says that it’s the third time Abraham has left campus since he started 6th grade at Endeavor Middle School. Each incident followed a meltdown in which Abraham needs space and time to calm down. However, Hibbert says school staff had cornered Abraham, prompting him to want to run away.
Hibert told Fox 11 News that he adopted Abraham at six months of age after he saw the “Wednesdays Child” adoption segment on Fox 11. He has always been protective of Abraham and went to the Lancaster School Board meeting to criticize the school district.
He says administrators at Endeavour have been inattentive to following the individualized education program, or what is known as IEP, the district had in place for Abraham in elementary school. According to Hibbert, the aide at Endeavour is sometimes replaced by a non-trained school employee, and that the district should have planned an updated IEP before the new school year.
“God bless it, Michelle. I expected more from you,” said Hibbert at the board meeting, referring to Superintendent Michelle Bowers, who called the incident regrettable.
“We’re doing everything we need to do to support the family and support this child to be successful,” said Bowers. “This is his first year of middle school, and while we’re completely committed to his safety and his education, we’re also very mindful of the safety of our staff, so we’re trying to balance all of that out.”
Hibbert believes that the school needs, “administrators, not just one-on-one aides, not just special-education teachers, but administrators who understand the scope of autism and what it means and how those children react.”
Hibbert said the school sent his son to a hospital on an attempted, (and according to hospital staff “utterly ridiculous”) 5150 after that 11-year-old child had already transitioned from a meltdown.
Abraham is currently suspended from school, and Hibbert has hired an attorney.
