I agree, LIARS!!!! And again even if she did not say those things, she is the one in charge of the calssroom, who is in it, and what goes on. She is suppose to teach, help, and police on a daily basis. CLEARLY she did not!

Even if she was not in the room at that particular time, was she also absent all the other times that this was going on, in the instances where the school said the kid was acting out. This wasn't an isolated incident so that excuse hold no water.

What a cowardly response to this accusation, accusing the father of putting her "in harm's way". It's the actions of her aides (and possibly herself if she's lying) that put her in that position, not the response of a parent to the obvious abuse of his child. She's responsible for what occurs in her classroom, regardless if she's telling the truth or not.

I agree with true said-she should cut the innocent act and find a new career. If she does not know what the hell is going on in her classroom then she needs to find somewhere else to work. Simply not being married does not constitute innocence on her part I am sure she knew what was going on the whole time. Maybe that is why she left so that she would not be responsible for their actions.

First of all, I seriously question the teacher's story that she was not even in the room at the time. However, if that is true, then there is even more grounds to fire her. If she was not in the room that means that she completely shirked her responsibilities and left a classroom full of special needs children in the hands of untrained teacher's aides. This would be a completely unacceptable thing for this teacher to do. If she was in the room when this occurred, it does not matter whether she heard the specific comments or not. One of the number one responsibilities of a teacher is something called classroom management. If a teacher is not controlling the aides assigned to her and is oblivious to them abusing a student, then that teacher is incompetent and should not be in the classroom. This is no different than when you hold a manager responsible for not doing anything about a problem employee that they should have been aware of. You can not turn your back on your responsibilities and then claim ignorance of problems as a defense. At a minimum this teacher should never be allowed near special needs children or any class where teaching aides are used because the teacher has clearly demonstrated a lack of the required skills to manage those aides. As for the comments about the father putting her in danger I say bull!!! There has been nothing to indicate that she has been in any way threatened physically as a result of the father's comments and releasing the recording. Having people angry and wanting to see you fired does not mean you are in harm's way, it only means that you are getting the treatment you deserve for being incompetent. Unless she has been physically threatened, any claim that she has been put in harm's way is a joke. If anything, she put this man's child in harm's way by failing to control the teacher's aides assigned to her classroom.

A lawyer who knows he's going to lose a case might as well come up with the most stupid sounding defense possible. And this one has happened before.

"We have your client calling an autistic child a bastard on tape."

"No you don't. Tapes don't exist. Neither do recordings. It is all magic foo foo!"

Not taking sides either way but I listened to that video a couple of time and I didn't hear anyone say "bastard". Didn't really like what I was hearing though.

absolutely-lawyers who know that they are going to lose a case, with the most stupid sounding defense. If that teacher was not in the room she is still responsible for what goes on in it. I am sure she heard her other counterparts talking about it. It would not even surprise me if she left the room so that she would not be held responsible. She needs to find a new career and fast.

Then whose voice are we hearing on the tape, if it wasn't her? That person was clearly in charge of the class and I felt her behavior was abusive.

Naturally, the teacher is going to deny everything, but the audio tape speaks for itself.

Absolutely Kevin-she is responsible for what ultimately takes place in her classroom.

I beleive there is a special place in hell for people like this.

poot44/Kevin

No she is not unless she left to grab some taco bell. If the school calls her to a meeting...how is she responsible? Are you responsible for what happens at your desk when you have a mandatory company meeting?

Check the records...was she or was she not in a meeting. If not, where was she and why? If not there then she's in the classroom....due process, people

What also bothers me in this case is that the aides are 'no longer working in that district'. They should not be working in ANY district. Not with children or with animals ever. So now some other kids are going to have to be subject to abuse?? American's love to sue, and in this case whoever allows these aides to continue dealing with living things should be sued.

Debra,
Agreed. I also know these aides only need to have a college degree. It doesnt have to have anything to do with teaching or children. I know a story where a aid was fired for having inappropriate relations with a high school student....and he was "just fired"....what???

You just had to know that "lawyer" was going to appear shortly after the first story and that they are going to make it a crime/sue for a parent to protect his own child. Probably needed a judge approved for the wire tap...

How messed up as a society are we that parents have been deemed incapable of looking out for and raising our children. Do teachers and government really know best? I think NOT!

I'll wait for the facts...... strange enough though, there's an awful lot of CYA/damage control going on.

Did everyone read the same article? It clearly states she was at an inservice. In other words, not in the classroom. This is required for her job to ensure that she is up to date on teaching methods and other aspects of her job. If she has documenation showing she was not present, how can she be held accountable? The people who actually verbally abused the child need to be removed, but lets stop the hysteria and make sure the claims are correct.

Although a teacher is essentially responsible for what occurs in the classroom, there has to be reason. If it occurred in her absense, then the parties left responsible should disciplined or in this case fired. Sometimes the best managers have employees that do the wrong thing and have to correct the situation and move on. Keep in mind, the teacher does not hire the aid, it is the Superintendent and School Board.

If she is out of the classroom at a meeting/training during the time this occurred, she is not responsible for these specific instances. BUT, what about other instances. It doesn't sound like this was an isolated incident. It's the repeated instances and the atmosphere that it was okay that made this a truly abusive situation.

The attitude from this teacher is almost more disgusting now than it was before, when we simply just knew that that she was bullying a special needs kid.

I mean, seriously... This is her excuse instead of just saying sorry?

As a liberal, I support quite a few unions and people who join unions. The teachers union is not one of them. This tenure bull@!$%# is just that: the biggest load of bull@!$%#. It creates this bizarre personality that we're seeing exemplified with this teacher right now.

There's a reason why university professors need tenure and they have to actually work damn hard to get it. There is no reason why anyone high school level and below needs it, who typically just have to sit at a desk for 2 years and automatically receive it.

If she really cared, she would and should be at least as outraged as he is. She's lawyering up in case he decides to sue the crap out of her...and to save her job.

I believe her. She did not call him a bastard. She called him a f**king bastard. Let's get it right folks.

Many people here are rushing to judgment and think they somehow know if the teacher was in the room that day or not. A source within the school system informs me that she was in meetings most of the day. How will you feel if she is able to provide proof that she wasn't there? Will you claim the meeting minutes have been falsified?

The issue at this point is largely whether or not the teacher knew this was happening before. The school district has put her on unpaid leave pending an investigation. They can't legally say much while the investigation is going on.

@truesaid You call her a bitch when we don't even know if she actually did anything wrong? You do not know if that's her on the recording. Someone who knows her has told me it's not her voice and she was in a district meeting most of the day.

@Jennifer, New York Most of what you hear on the tape is an aide named Jodi, who has been fired. The sub who was in the room was also fired, and another aide resigned.

@Yashmak Perhaps you aren't aware. The home phone numbers of teachers who have no connection to this other than working at the same school have been released and they are getting death threats. Their children are being threatened. I reiterate, this is happening to teachers who simply work in the same building and are themselves heartbroken about what happened in their school. I would imagine Ms. Altenburg is experiencing the same.

@JS in SD: How is attending a district meeting "completely shirking her responsibilities"?

Way too many people with no idea what's going on, who think they can pass judgment.

It's a very simple solution. Have the tape run through a voice recognition program and it will identify the voices on the tape. Once the voices have been identified then there's no reason not to fire all parties involved.

@Observer_1 "The attitude from this teacher is almost more disgusting now than it was before, when we simply just knew that that she was bullying a special needs kid."

You in fact never knew she was doing that. I have been told by a source within the school system that the teacher was in a district meeting most of the day. They now have her on unpaid leave while they investigate whether she knew this was happening before. They are trying to get the full story, unlike you.

@myspellcheckerisbroken Maybe your ears are broken too, because that's not on the recording at all.

Based on an experience within our family, I have no doubt the teacher is guilty of monstrous behavior. She lawyered up and is lying to preserve a job that over the course of years is very lucrative.

I say 'monstrous' because she assaulted a defenseless child. I say 'assault' because she made Akian fear for his safety. She belongs in jail.

btw Most teachers are forgiven all or part of their student loans after teaching for x number of years. Did you doctor get her student loans forgiven?

These teachers aides/classroom assistants do not need to have a college degree, only the special education teachers do. We are lucky if these teacher's aides have a high school diploma. They are assistants who are supervised by the teacher, and the pay is very bad and the work can be hard as some of the students have very severe behaviors. It's very hard to find and keep staff in these classrooms as a result.

Minusjason - Bravo! and well said. Thanks for trying to bring some sanity to this thread. Don't be discouraged by the "haters who are gonna' hate" types.

If the teacher is not in the classroom, there is a substitute teacher that is gotten for the time the regular teacher is not in the classroom. The substitute does not have to be a SE teacher, however.

The teacher could have very well been at a meeting; special ed teachers attend a lot of meetings this time of the year in NJ because of Individualized Education Plan (IEP) meetings with the Child Study Team (CST). Child Study Team members include: the case manager, parent or guardian of the child, SE teacher, and others depending on the services provided (such as the Speech Therapist). There is a sign-in sheet which everyone who attends the meeting has to sign. And if there are other school-related meetings that the teacher has to attend, I am sure there is some kind of attendance sheet, and that is where it can be proved if this teacher was where she says she was.

As the investigation into this incident proceeds, I am sure we'll find out more about it. Let's see what the investigation comes up with before trying to lynch the teacher.

@jkatze You simply don't know right now if that's the teacher on the recording. You can tell yourself you know, but you don't.

Also LMAO@ "a job that is very lucrative"

Right, we all know special education teachers get in it for the money. It's quite a racket. Average salary from Indeed.com: $46,000. Look at those special education teachers. Just cleaning up.

2 + 2 = ??

This child has been in her class for how long? If she's been the teacher for a year and a half and notices a normally calm child behaving aggressively...does she just ignore it? A behaviorist could not incite Akain into aggressive behaviors. When the behaviorist was there, was the teacher also present so that she could see the 'results'?

Let's give her the benefit of the doubt...she wasn't there. Didn't she notice that the behaviors started in her absence and at least ask the aides what happened?

It is unfortunate but true that parents do need to resort to taping a teacher. A decade ago, I was taking off of work & kids from the neighborhood stopped to talk - they then said they wished I was a teacher at their school, having just read an article that stated adults don't listen to children, I decided that I would apply (it was a private Catholic school). I NEVER imagined that I would be hired (I hated my current job, so if I were hired I could commit to one year), I have Bachelor's in Biochemistry and MBA - but NO teaching experience...I was wrong, I was hired as the "Health" teacher (school started two weeks later) but after one week, a 20+ year school teacher quit a 2nd grade class because, as I was told by the principal "they are a bad class because half are ADHD troublemakers."

To get to the point - I had the 21 children 4 days a week, one day a week they did music, art, gym, etc. with other teachers - every time they were not with me, they came back crying because they got a detention, or three, from the other teachers etc. So, I started to spy on the teachers who were upsetting ONLY the children labeled ADHD and one child who had Aspergers & tourettes (his mother lobbied to get him into my class because she spied on how poorly he was treated by another teacher)....I was shocked at what I saw, the children without a label would harass the ADHD kids - the instigators NEVER got in trouble in art, gym, etc....the "bad" children always got in trouble - trouble they didn't deserve. The other children knew who was labeled ADHD because everyday, the school nurse would come to my class, call out names and say "It's time for the medicine that keeps you less hyper." (or something very similar) I decided that my class would be the best - we did not draw, we had an extra recess if everyone was good during an extra math or science session (we made it through the 2nd & 3rd grade math books).

I called parents every night when the kids were not in my care to say that their child did NOT do what he/she was accused of, etc. because I witnessed the other teachers giving detention for no reason ONLY to the ADHD (or ADD) children. I didn't have to give detention, my class behaved well with me and knew that I had a no tolerance policy on being mean to each other (they were only 8, so out of my sight in another class, some kids were mean), I made sure I ate lunch with the children, not in the teachers lounge, made sure my most vulnerable kids were OK during all school recesses, etc... why did I do more - I think it was because I wasn't trained as a teacher, yet I took the responsibility seriously, I researched what helps children with different problems, I maintained a quiet classroom, I knew when a child was upset and asked privately what had happened (usually a child from another class picked on them).... I was attentive to each child as a different child - not clones that could all be taught the same way, so my class operated differently but gave each child what they needed to be successful and have a fun day at school learning - other teachers didn't like me at all, I was shunned - which was fine because I found the other two 2nd grade teachers to be annoying and moronic at best -- and they colored all the time, instead of teaching. I wasn't Catholic so I could not return unless I became Catholic - it didn't matter, I was moving to another state but my children's parents asked - "what do we do so that our child isn't labeled and treated as bad?" My honest advice was to change to another school - Catholic was fine, but do not tell anyone at the school that the child is on ADHD or ADD medication....sad but true.

Whomever stated that teachers were total gossips - you are 100% correct.

That is great she was not there when the recording was done but where was she the other days?

Chaifetz has said he intends to campaign until Altenburg is no longer allowed to teach children. "Even if she said nothing, she should be fired because that room was her responsibility," he added.

IN OTHER WORDS, he acknowledges that the teacher might not have said what he previously claimed that she said ... and it's even possible that she truly was NOT present when the actions happened ... but he wants her held responsible anyway. And who will be held responsible for the false allegations that HE MADE about her ... if, in fact, she did NOT say the things he claimed she said?

@jaktez...

"btw Most teachers are forgiven all or part of their student loans after teaching for x number of years. Did you doctor get her student loans forgiven?"

you are so wrong!!! where did you get this fact??? I am a teacher, 13 years. (and before you jump all over me it is my prep and I have been following this story a little and am just checking in) The most loan forgiveness a regular classroom teacher gets is 5K and only if you work 5+ years in a "free and reduced lunch school (low-income at-risk) SPED teachers receive more. Also to note...I have been in such a school for my entire career...I do not qualify for this loan forgiveness because my first loan was generated 2 mths before the cut-off date. I still teach though...for 40K a year after 13 years!

all of this makes me so angry!!!! how many of you teach?? There are thousands of teachers and like anything else there are those that should not be teaching. Teachers are required to do 125 hrs of CEU's every five years to renew their licence. I am at a PLC (professional learning community meeting every week for 1.5 hrs). Are you people saying that if a teacher is out, perhaps sick for a day or at a conference, they are still responsible for what happens in their classroom??? This teacher could be at a PLC meeting once a week and the sub/aide that is in the room each week is the person abusing this poor child. But no!!! lets burn that teacher.

I visit so many homes where I see not one single book...not one! What I do see is a 50+" flat screen, PS3 expensive car, expensive shoes...etc. Do you support the learning of your child....do you visit your child school? Do you help out in the classroom once a month? Do you read to your kids every night? Most parents see school as a break for them. How many times do I hear negative comments about summer from parents because their child will be home all day, or "yippy the school year is starting and I can get my kid out of my hair again." How often have I been cussed out by a student only to find-out the parents treat people the exact same way!!!

I think many of you need to take a long look at how involved you are in the education of your children! Are you a partner with your childs teacher or are you looking for something to call them out on?

I believe in teacher union although I have never been allowed to join one (charter school laws...at-will contract). After 13 years of dedication to teaching I could be replaced tomorrow...simply because my school wants to hire a fresh out of college teacher and pay them less.

It is my guess that this teacher had no idea this was happening everytime she went to her PLC meeting. I could be wrong...but I am guessing it was the aides and sub!!!

please forgive my grammar...I am a little angry writing this and also rushing because my break is over and I have to get back to your children!!!

If she was at a meeting in the morning for an hour, so what? Did the comments only occur during that hour she was in the meeting? No. They continued throughout the day after she came back from her meeting.

If it wasn't her voice recorded- again so what? She is the manager of that classroom. Clearly the culture she had established allowed for her aides to feel comfortable doing what they did.

A student begins to cry, wouldn't you expect the teacher to at least approach the situation and ask "what's going on over here?" Did that happen? no.

I've worked in the NJ school system as a substitute and I can tell you first hand that the children are not a priority. Of course there are a few good teachers, but the grand majority are more interested in skating through, especially once they are tenured.

Abolish Tenure now.

If NJEA was smart they would distance themselves from this woman like she was radioactive. Most people in the state were fed up with them before this blew up. If they defend her - they will lose all credibility.

Chris Christie has to be doing the happy dance right about now. LOL

Exactly WHAT else would you EXPECT her lawyer to say?

The kid was there for 6 months, and the recording is for 6 hours, what happened the OTHER 5 months? If the aides were comfortable acting this way, why would you expect that it was not done anytime, in front of the teacher or not. I believe the teacher's voice is on the tape and that she has responsibility in the matter. The dad did not target the teacher, on the contrary, he was looking for answers. The rats he caught in the trap were the teachers and the aids. He only wants an apology, THEY will cause this to be a huge suite by resisting. How many lawsuits could be avoided if a simple apology were given? Pride and denial are sometimes very expensive.

SumFunGi -

In NJ if you went to a NJ college you will receive 10% loan forgiveness for each year you teach in a school in NJ (any public school, not just a low income one). There are dates involved, so if you graduated 10-15 years ago you likely won't qualify, and I don't know if this teacher in the story did or did not meet those requirements. Average starting salary here is $40K and average teacher salary is $60K. We pay our teachers extremely well and we expect them to educate our children in a respectful manner. I don't think that's too much to ask.

btw Most teachers are forgiven all or part of their student loans after teaching for x number of years. Did you doctor get her student loans forgiven?

Yes, doctors do, if they work in low income areas or volunteer in clinics for x amount of years. Doctors who go to rural areas and work in hospitals or set up practice can get part of their loans forgiven, too. Especially family practitioners and pediatricians, which these areas are in desperate need.

Someone needs to tell the attorney to listen to the tapes. Now imagine that's your son.

I get that an attorney has to represent his/her client's best interests. But the evidence here is pretty darned overwhelming that a) there was a pretty substantial amount of bullying going on, b) the conversations had by the people in the room were totally inappropriate for a school setting and c) the "teacher" (that's the job title she has - but it's not appropriate in my opinion) has the responsibility for providing an environment in which the student can learn. The fact that this young man is a special needs student is immaterial.

This story also very clearly illustrates why unions are becoming less and less relevant and they get "voted in" at companies less frequently. If the union was performing the job that they should be performing, they'd be doing their level best to drum this lady out of the profession. People who act so aggregiously damage the reputation of the profession. As far as I'm concerned, the union is no better than the attorney in this situation. Both know she's wrong.

I agree with other posters who think tenure is a crock of hooey. I used to work in food sevice - and I totally sucked at it. Just because I worked in it for 5 years should never give me a "right" to retain my job. My job should be based on performance factors and nothing else.

I'm so very proud of this man - and especially proud at how he's standing up for his son. I'm right there with you, man. If this woman is allowed to teach another day, it's another day too long. The only thing she's qualified to do (I could care less about what her "accreditations" say) is to ask if people want "fries with that".

Xina..

That is awesome! I am happy to hear NJ is trying to help retain quality teachers...

Minusjason:

You in fact never knew she was doing that. I have been told by a source within the school system that the teacher was in a district meeting most of the day. They now have her on unpaid leave while they investigate whether she knew this was happening before. They are trying to get the full story, unlike you.

lmao... Oh yes, you just magically have "a source". Watch out, everyone, we got an internet insider over here.

If you actually read this story and its accompanying story (it's much easier to just read rather than make up fictitious sources), the child's father has recordings from multiple days. You mean to tell me that this lady was at a district meeting on every one of those days?

If she was, then she's a crap teacher for never actually being a teacher and abandoning her post.

Tickets to board the clue-train are free. You should get on sometime.

jkatze:

Did you doctor get her student loans forgiven?

To be fair, and I know more about this area first hand, there are quite a few ways medical doctors can have their loans forgiven or paid for.

Underserved communities, military scholarship, etc., are just a few off the top of my head.

I am required to be at a professional learning community every Wednesday for 1.5 hrs. The sub or aide that covers her class when she is at her PLC each week might be the culprit here...before burning her at the steak lets wait and see what is learned...

SumFunGi -

I agree with part of what you're saying. Parents don't do enough (and aren't involved enough) in the education of their children. Fifty years ago - when mom was a "stay at home" mom... at least one parent could be involved. Today, with so many households having to have both adults working - it makes being involved a lot more difficult for parents. That's not a pass - if you bore the child - you have a responsibility - equal to or greater for your child's development. So on that we totally agree.

I have total sympathy for what you say about working in teaching for 13 years and not feeling you're appropriately compensated. When I think back about the teachers that most influenced my life, I'm sure they weren't paid very well... but wow, what a difference they made. Our society is pretty screwed up when a Cracker Barrel Manager can pull in $100k to $120k per year - but teachers don't even earn half of that. What do we value? Where are our priorities?

Now - for the part that I disagree with. You're a teacher. Having to do things in terms of Continuing Education Units is a burden pretty much every other "professional" out there has to do. My wife is a Landscape Architect - and she has to do a set number of hours per year to "keep abreast" of current factors influencing her job. Aristotle was a teacher too. I'm not sure I'd want him teaching my children on any subject other than ancient history. You either continue learning or you cease to be a relevant professional in your field.

And yes. You won't like this, but sorry... it's a fact. As a Director of Human Resources for my company, if one of my employees fails, it's on absolutely no one but me - regardless of whether I'm out sick or what have you. See... it's part of this idea of "responsibility". Is the teacher responsible for what happens if she's out sick? Not completely. But she's not out sick for six months. If she was a "good" teacher - and this boy wasn't acting out but now is... don't you think - even if she's totally innocent, which I completely doubt - she had a responsibility to discover why? Obviously, the teacher reported the boy was acting out more. There's a change in behavior that should have prompted a concerned teacher to investigate.

As for unions, all I will say is that unions used to perform a good service. When working conditions were poor and people were put in hazards way because of their jobs, the "union" had a responsiblity to protect the employee. Today, a lot of things that unions did to protect workers are handled by government agencies and laws. The union of today is more about "Johnny has a lollipop and I want one too." It's not about protecting workers, it's about fleecing companies for every penny they can. Now don't get me wrong, some companies deserve to be fleeced. When you're paying your people minimum wage and you barely pay anything for health insurance for your people (assuming you even offer it) and rake in billions in profit every year - there's something wrong.

You people who want to blame a teacher who wasn't even in the room are idiots. Grow up.

The Lawyer (in this story) said the teacher was at the meeting/class for an hour. Okay. But I listened to the wiretap. In one part, there were two women in the classroom (caught on the boy's wiretap) inappropriately discussing, in the presence of the children, how drunk one of them got the night before and that she spent the morning puking her guts out. One was the aide, so who was the other? Do the teachers have more than one aide in their classrooms?

tired....

I absolutely believe in continuing education! I consider myself a life long learner...I make mistakes all the time and reflect upon my day every evening. I do not think I said that I am against having to do CEU's?? Just stating that we have to do them and sometimes it pulls us out of the classroom.

Yes on an on-going basis the teacher is responsible for their classroom and "knowing" their students...most do! I am talking about the day you stay home sick and the sub does something stupid in your classroom in your absence...No! the regular classroom teacher in not responsible for the sub's stupidity....

Gee whiz! A lawyer that invents a bs excuse. Who'd a thunk it?

steel toed boot @ 1.48

Do the teachers have more than one aide in their classrooms?

Depends on the special needs students' IEP's. Some students have constant, one-on-one, EA's.

This "woman" must be the most idiotic retarded fool to ever breath air!!!!!! Anybody that listened to the recording heard the boy being called a bastard. I say it's lynch mob time 'cause we all know that with the union, the courts and lawyers involved that she'll get away with it and continue the same if not worse behavior. And how to you know that she was not in the room? They need to get independant professional help to determine if it was her voice or not. If it was her voice "hang her' (metaphorically speaking) in other words she needs to be fired and do time.

Mountain Earth,

She wasn' there for an hour, and it was going on for more than that. So what do you think? When she returned to the class she put her head down and went to sleep or something.

YES the aide acted irresponsibly however unless you were in the classroom you don't both sides of the story! Autistic children do have a tendency to act out, particularly when something is changed. THIS is a part of being Autistic for the majority of true autistic children and adults do not like change!

Also I will add coddling a child especially an autistic child may not be the best medicine or way to handle a situation. In this case only one side of the issue is discussed, yet we all remain in the dark as to what happened to cause the teacher and aid to react as they did????

I hear Jodi loud and clear. She is an obnoxious, uncaring person. I vaguely hear another person in the background, although to be frank, I can't hear anything she said. I do hear Akian screaming at Jodi at one point, and his Dad explains it is because he's stressed out about going to his mother's for the weekend. Screaming is not an appropriate method of communication in ANY special needs class. Jodi does respond by telling him to shut his mouth. She did not use the more unacceptable vernacular, "SHUT UP!"

I have a child with autism. A predictable and consistent schedule is what allows her to be her best. The father himself admits Akian gets upset at the upheaval at going to his mother's home. When my daughter gets upset, she tends to display her stress in inappropriate ways. She hits, she screams, she pinches herself, and she wails. Because she's potentially a harm to herself or others, she needs to be physically restrained. I champion the women who have handled her in the past. They help her through her stress with love, patience, compassion and DISCIPLINE. She gets new teachers almost every year. When she changes classes, she, once again, acts out. This young boy changes class all the time. He's going to act out. The teachers should all handle it well. The teacher's aids are there to help an overwhelmed teacher. They, sadly, are not as well trained as the teacher.

Since I never ONCE heard the teacher personally address Akian negatively or inappropriately, I find it astonishing that so much vitriolic warfare is heaved her way. The fact that she generally teaches the class and is there is just geography. It doesn't mean that she can own what happens when she's not there. Until I hear that entire 6-hour tape, I will not level accusations or assumptions on her. It is unfair.

The father's lengthy YouTube post depicted two things I found completely unacceptable: calling the child a bastard, and lying to him about seeing his father after his mother. They show Jodi's mean spirit. The rest of the video is Daddy's spin.

It's up to us to decide if we want to have him tell us our opinion or if we want to form our own.

Nice silly shrinks, blame the 10 year old child for the actions of adults! I mean, it's not like people are responsible for their own actions, it's always someone else's fault.

YES! she did, one can CLEARLY hear her on the original post on YT

additionally-

Her IGNORANCE is evidenced by her answering, what amounts to the question, "Have you quit beating your wife yet?" and points to the FACT THAT SHE DOESN'T BELONG IN THE (ANY) CLASSROOM OR AROUND CHILDREN is any way shape or form.

It's called 'posturing.' It's what lawyers do when they know that they haven't a decent case to pursue.

Obviously the teachers said what they said... We all heard them say it... If there hadn't been a tape recording this lawyer would be denying everything and accusing the father of slander... It's just a highly paid game to them... But this is no game... The safety of young people AND their school system is at stake here.

Teachers must not DO such things... And teachers must not lie... It sets a very bad example for students.

Observer_1:

lmao... Oh yes, you just magically have "a source". Watch out, everyone, we got an internet insider over here.

If you actually read this story and its accompanying story (it's much easier to just read rather than make up fictitious sources), the child's father has recordings from multiple days. You mean to tell me that this lady was at a district meeting on every one of those days?

If she was, then she's a crap teacher for never actually being a teacher and abandoning her post.

Tickets to board the clue-train are free. You should get on sometime.

The magic I employed is known as "sending a blanket e-mail to many people within that particular school system, and getting responses from some." It does take a little more initiative than hanging out here talking about things you don't know about.

I understand if you're skeptical. I would be too. People make stuff up on the Internet all the time. I don't need you to believe me. I won't tell you more about the people I've been talking with, because they aren't supposed to be talking to me and I don't want to get them in hot water. I was pretty surprised myself to have gotten any response. The teachers in that school who didn't do anything wrong are getting tired of the hate mail and hateful phone calls, so I guess some decided they would answer my e-mail, which was critical but rational.

Yet your snarkiness and dismissiveness are less tolerable. I have read this story, and have been reading about this all week. I was heartbroken by the video, and actually tried to get something done by sending an e-mail to get some answers, unlike you. I haven't seen any story that says the father has recordings from multiple days. Nowhere in his video does he say he has recordings from multiple days. Where are you getting this?

Even if she was out of the class for an hour, the original tape is 6 hours and 15 minutes long, and the abuse spans the entire day. What's her excuse for the other 5 hours and 15 minutes? I may not know who's voice is who's but we are talking about a classroom with what 15 or 20 students and maybe 5 aides? There's no way she was oblivious to everything we hear on the tape. I listened to the full, available on youtube tape, edited to protect the other children, and you can clearly hear someone call Akian a bastard, tell him that he cannot see his dad,(which is what sends him into a tailspin, and they knew it would), then tell him to shut his mouth after deliberately tormenting him about seeing his dad, etc. These are adults, supposedly trained to work with children, some with special needs children and this is what they do? There is no excuse for this teacher even if she was out for an hour there were 5 more she was there for and even if she didn't say and do the things herself she allowed them to be said and done in her presence, her loyalties are to the children she is paid to teach and protect not to the aides that she is in charge of.

Minusjason, Kudos to you for trying to get to the bottom, problem is the people you emailed were not in the classroom to tell you what was going on. The only people in that room who can tell the truth are the aides, the teacher, and the students, and well let's be honest, the adults have reason to want to cover their backsides and the kids are incapable of articulating what happened. The tape is the only unbiased source of information we have, I recommend you listen to it closely.

dirp: You have no idea what you are talking about. If you would have listened to the whole you tube video form the dad, you would have heard this is a special needs class of all severely autistic boys. There is no "mainstreaming" going on here.

You think the parents don't know that many, let's say most, of these children know that their child will NEVER be able to function independently?

What experience in this do you have? None, I'm sure.

Funding for teacher's aides is shrinking and in my local school district, they have decided to combine special needs classrooms with the autistic classroom to save money, although it has been studied and there is proof that autistic children learn differently than other children with severe learning disabilities.

The whole point of this video is that the parent has done extensive work with his son to raise him to be non-violent, and these teachers, the adults with authority in the classroom, behaved in an absolutely inappopriate manner knowing that these boys, who are not able to verbally tell their parents what goes on in the classroom, were bullied and treated with disrespect. You would be the first to hold the parent responsible for his child's behavior, but don't want to hold these teachers responsible for their behavior.

We need videos in the classroom of these special needs children. We have videos on the bus to try and keep student's behavior in line, and now we unfortunately need videos in the classroom to keep these teachers in line.

I have 2 girls in school, we as parents are always volunteering, donating things to the classroom, reading to our kids, making sure the kids do their homework. One of my girls is a National Merit Scholarship Finalist. Education is important to us, but most important is when I tell my girls to respect their teachers, the teachers need to behave appropriately. We all have our responsibilities, and these teachers are not meeting theirs.

If the teacher did call the kid what she is accused of calling him or if she was the one in control of anyone who may have been in the classroom in her absence, then this is horrific abuse. I would not doubt that there have been kids who have been abused by teachers and others in the educational system. I saw unfairness in the system myself both as a kid and as a parent. However, I, for one, am entirely sick of cases being tried in the media with what information we are fed being controlled solely by the media. Add to that everyone else's opinions and half-baked "facts" about the educational system and you have a lot of assuming. I will wait to see what other facts emerge before rushing to judgment in this particular case.

Iam12, I am a silly shrink. I prefer to be called a therapist though, thank you. I, contrary to your assertion, do not see where Akian did anything to cause the adults in this room to behave the way they do. They tormented him, one of them tells him that he may not see his father when he asks if he may after he sees his mother, this upsets him as they know it will, clear to me that this is abuse. A bit later this same person repeats this action sending Akian into an emotional tailspin, then proceeds to tell the child to shut his mouth, both times this is extreme abuse of a child who cannot express emotion in what is considered an acceptable way, she knew what she was doing and she wanted this reaction, it made her feel empowered, albeit over a child. She needs therapy to find out why she needs to damage a child to feel she has power, there is an issue there. The others seem to be followers with issues of their own. As far as I am concerned the whole group of adults needs therapy, considering the alcohol abuse, child abuse, enabling, etc going on in that room.

And don't you love how they said these aids are no longer working in THIS school district. Like saying "we transferred that child molesting priest to ANOTHER church."

If I owned some company and I heard that one of my employs was being inapropreate to the costomers, I would fire everyone that heard and did not stop her/tell me about it. I would also fire the manager for not putting a stop to it. I am not saying that she said those things, but I am saying that she is responcable for what goes on in that classroom, wether she is around or not. If it happned once then its happend before.

@upright1 I agree that the tape is the most important piece of evidence. I have not had the time to sit and listen to the full 6 hours.

I think a lot of people are misinterpreting the headline here. The lawyer isn't saying that no one in the school called the child a bastard. He's saying that Kelly Altenburg didn't. It's very clear that someone did. There's a lot of hate for the lawyer here, but he's just defending his client. Everybody hates lawyers, until they need one.

What's a little bewildering to me is that the lawyer says she was out of the room for an hour, maybe more. To me, if she was only out of the room for an hour, and the stuff was going on all day, case closed, she's responsible. But what the people within the school system are telling me is that she was out of the room most of the day, not shirking her responsibilities but attending mandatory meetings. Special education teachers have a lot of meetings this time of year to produce IEPs for the following year, that kind of thing.

So anyway, my opinion is partly going to hinge on whether she was gone for around an hour, as her lawyer has apparently said, or most of the day. There should be records and witnesses to say whether or not she was in meetings all day. And if she was gone most of the day, did this happen other days?

I'd even be up for using voice recognition software to determine who said what. I'm not specifically defending this teacher-- I'm defending the search for the truth, rather than jumping to conclusions and letting appropriate punishments be twisted into blind revenge.

This had been going on for several months with this child acting out in class. The school even brought in a specialist and couldn't get the child to act out even when he pushed him. The reason is because he didn't know this child as well as the teacher and the aides. They knew exactly what buttons to push and they did so. Since this is something that had been happening over several months, is this teacher going to state she doesn't spend all that much time in her class and she doesn't know what goes on in it? If she doesn't, then why is the state paying her? As the teacher, she is the one that is supposed to be in control of the classroom, those other people are there to assist and follow her directions. She was either going along with these aides or allowing them to abuse this child or absent from her classroom. So again, why is she being paid as a teacher?

Minusjason you say that you have credible sources that say she was in meetings most of the day but in the story it says that she was gone for an hour in the morning? sources dont sound to credible!!

Shut up is the most hurtful thing you can say to anyone--it is telling them that nothing they say is of any value. No teacher should be allowed to use those words to any student. Bullying by teachers goes on whether we want to believe it or not. They need to be held accountable. Classes with students like Akian, who have disabilities, should be recorded at all times. It appeared that very little "teaching" was going on in that classroom. Shame on the teacher and the aides.

I deal with teachers every day. For the most part, sadly, they are not worthy of my praise. Enough said.

Of course she's going to say she didn't do it. The fact that the child is acting differently now that he is no longer around her seems proof enough that she's lying. But, it's not hard; get a voice specialist to compare the recording to her voice.

hoo boy. . . reminds me of the time I contacted my district special ed administrator after some foul statements made by an asst principal to my son. although official district policy put in place AFTER a fed investigation in the past required her to begin a formal complaint process, she simply wrote back that she wasn't there. I didn't know there was a formal process (it was buried in admin regs) till a couple of years later, and began to find out parents were NEVER told there was a process to report discrimination/harassment based on federally protected classes.

to the person who said kids w/disabilities should not be mainstreamed based on this, this is exactly a good reason for mainstreaming--to the extent kids with disabilities are segregated, they are more likely to be abused as well as less likely to learn social skills.

I used to be a Special Education teacher of students with severe disabilities. At this time of year, I was removed from my classroom for 2 weeks due to IEP meetings. However, during the rest of the year, my door was always open. By that I mean that anyone who wanted to come into my classroom (parents, other teachers, administrators) were able to at all times. Most days I felt like I was working in a fishbowl.

This story doesn't sound right from the start. I'm not saying the teacher was innocent or guilty because I wasn't there, so I don't know. What I found to be invaluable in my classroom was 1) the wonderful aides that I had who loved the students as much as I did, and 2) the open communication I had with my parents. I journaled the day's activities and the behavior of their child everyday. The parents would write back to me as well. I always knew first thing in the morning if my students were sick, having an off day, or just tired from not getting enough sleep for whatever reason.

It is the teacher's responsibility, ultimately, for whatever goes on in a classroom. However, being in that situation myself, I do know that I was called away from my classroom for meetings all the time. I felt like I spent more time in meetings than with my students.

For those of you who have already judged this teacher, please feel free to get that teaching degree for students with special needs and go teach. And to the person who said that the teacher is making $60K and being paid pretty well, it's not nearly enough when you work 18 hours a day and have parents treat you like a babysitter.

While I feel this child was treated horribly and the people on the tape should be fired, like I said earlier, I wasn't there and don't know what happened and neither to most of you. And to the person who said the father is just looking for an apology, that's BS. If it was just an apology he wanted, we wouldn't be reading about this.

My wife is a special ed teacher. More specifically, she is a self contained special ed teacher. Periodically, she will need to leave the room and another teacher will have to cover because the stress gets to her and she needs a break. If another qualified teacher cannot cover for her, than the sped director does. She has been kicked, hit, cussed out, and had chairs thrown at her by students who have been incarcerated for assault at 7 yrs old.

My wife does not hire, fire, or removed the aide from her classroom. She has been through several aides because self contained is not a class for everyone. If the aide cannot control themselves appropriately, she makes a complaint to the director and the director makes the final decision. She has complained up to 5 times before an aide was removed from her class.

Her classroom has 2 small rooms within her classroom. The 2 rooms have computers in it. She may be in 1 of the rooms working with a student or 2 on the computer and the door will be shut because the classroom is generally very loud. When the door is shut, the aide tends to the rest of the students. She has 7 students in her class. Each student is at a different learning level so each has a different lesson plan based on their IEP. Because of this, she spends her day 1 on 1 with each student which requires her aide to oversee the class while she is preoccupied. She might not even be in the same room as her aide because she is in the smaller room within the class working with an individual student. This is a special ed classroom.

A teachers student loan cannot be forgiven unless he/she has taught for at least 10yrs in a low income school in English, Math or Special Ed. The principal or principals have to validate this with their notarized signature. Anyone can review this themselves by going to the Sallie Mae website.

Special Ed teachers are unique individuals that need the assistance of aides. Unfortunately, aides dont get paid much so they're unqualified, uneducated, and cant really handle the special ed teaching environment but they're needed.

Yes, I listened to the YT video. We dont know the whole story. The adults in the video are out of line and need to go but I wasnt there so I dont know what exposure the teacher has. Dad says there have been meetings, a behavior analyst, etc so the teacher might have already complained numerous times about the student and the aides. Dont know the whole story.

Minusjason:

Yet your snarkiness and dismissiveness are less tolerable. I have read this story, and have been reading about this all week. I was heartbroken by the video, and actually tried to get something done by sending an e-mail to get some answers, unlike you. I haven't seen any story that says the father has recordings from multiple days. Nowhere in his video does he say he has recordings from multiple days. Where are you getting this?

I wouldn't say that I was anymore snarky and dismissive than you were. Don't try that maneuver with me.

To answer the rest of your comment, after re-reading the article, I was wrong in stating there was multiple recordings. HOWEVER, there is multiple instances of this bullying. There'd have to be, otherwise why would the father have the inclination to even do a recording? It couldn't have been based on just one instance of bullying (remember, we're dealing with an autistic child who wouldn't be able to convey just one passing moment of bullying but would, however, begin to behaviorally express continuing bullying).

I mean, do you think he just randomly had the idea to record his son and just happened to jackpot on an occasion of bullying? Let's be real.

A behaviorist was called in to see what was wrong, months passed, and Chaifetz still could not understand what was happening. Akian's autism meant he was not able to tell his father.

So, I stand by my comment: was she a continually absent teacher? Otherwise she would've had to been present during some of the bullying, which either makes her a participant, an accomplice, or active participant.

Your source can mull on that.

http://usnews.msnbc.msn.com/_news/2012/04/25/11389266-dad-wires-up-autistic-son-10-to-expose-bullying-by-teaching-staff?lite

So many people are so quick to rush to judgement! This is an innocent-until-proven-guilty country! The only proof that she had anything to do with this is the fact that you can hear someone saying it. You don't know who it is. The dad admits to not knowing who said it. I think the right thing to do here is to keep an eye on her for a while.

I have two words to say to that F****** teacher-

BULL SH**!!!!!!!!!!

School Districts are lucky to get any TA's, it's not like they have some giant pool to draw from. Trying to get teachers to teach Special Ed is also no picnic, so some of you want to fire this teacher, nice message to anyone else who might think of trying to teach special ed.

Did this dad use company equipment to "wire" his child? Seems ethics may be lacking all the way around. He (the dad) is clearly more interested in trial by media than solving the problem. Win your own case before you start going global with your cause.

I wonder where SHARK stands on this - people donate to a company that lets its staff run around with the media all day, instead of being at work. When you depend on donations - the last thing you want is rogue employees.

If this kid can't communicate - how would he even know if someone is talking about him? People use school systems to be their baby sitter - this kid sounds like he needs special attention - attention he'll never get in a classroom setting - dad is just too cheap to pony up the money for real treatment.

Witch trials 2012.

And i have two words for you, Michelle-

PROVE IT.

Michelle uses profanity to protest profanity = priceless.

Ethos trumps logos (at Newsvine) again. Funny how when forced to use logos as a jury member - these people would find the teacher innocent. Good luck getting an audio recording to prove anything - killers have walked away with more evidence on them.

This is such a load. This happens all the time in my opinion and I just wish when my kids were little I had had the capability to bug them. 26 years as a Foster Parent put me in daily contact with Special ED teachers and staff. I had a Principal tell me to my face one of my boys was dirty because he was a Foster child. Accused me of not washing him or teaching him too be clean. 'look at his ankles he said that didn't happen overnight pointing at the childs ankle. Boy was mortified. I had already told this educator the boy showered every night. I looked at his ankle, took a kleenex and wiped the dust from the playground off. Clean. Just dust. Special Ed kids got it worse. When a teacher slammed one of my boys up againt the wall I went to the Principal and was told the Teacher said it never happened. What I would have given for a mini recorder. More Parents needto follow this Fathers lead.

congrats to the father who did what he had to do to defend his child. His investigation proved problems in the school system. Thats where the investigation needs be. Any one looking to attacking the father for looking out for his child needs to go to deadbeatdads.com and leave this man alone. As the courts hopefully settle this suit, I personally think the dad should school and and state for full treatment education and care of this child forever. They say a mother scorned, they don't say that about dad because dad leaves no whiners behind.

I feel your pain too Mo-. My husband and I have had 5 boys and 2 girls in our home most of the time we take in teen siblings because because no one wants them and we love it. Once however we were privileged to get a 5 year old boy and a 2 year old girl, we knew the parents and grandparents and it was more of a family friend thing until grandparents were prepared to step in. We had them 5 months, and then when the grandparents needed a break or the kids did as they grew up. Had some trouble with the principle of our high school over the young lady because she got into a fight with a girl who had cornered her in the restroom, he of course laid the blame at her feet. It didn't go well for him..lol I'm nasty when you mess with my babies.

bencas...WHETHER OR NOT THIS TEACHER IS IN THE CLASSROOM OR NOT...SHE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR ALL GOINGS ON IN IT. iT IS STILL HER RESPONSIBILITY..IT IS ALSO THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE SCHOOL PRINCIPAL AND THE SCHOOL BOARD TO KNOW WHAT GOES ON IN THESE CLASS ROOMS.

Ivan, NC .. totally incorrect. Absolutely totally factually incorrect.

The statement from Altenburg's lawyer said the accusations had "hurt her deeply" and she wanted to "set the record straight."

Yes, teacher you got caught! I guess you really are 'hurt deeply.' Afraid for your job? I would be afraid too!

If you never do wrong, you never have to worry about being caught for doing wrong. In this case, the teacher fails!

Accept your responsiility. Appologize, like dad wanted, and this goes away!

Speaking to msnbc.com Thursday, Steve Wollmer, communications director for the New Jersey Education Association, the state's largest teachers union, said Altenburg was "very serious about her work, really sees it as her life's calling and is very good at it."

I disapprove of unions in general; however, say what you want there fellow, but this teach FAILS!

The lawyer and the teacher sound like they live in the Land of Oz...Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!

A few facts get in the way of the logical fallacy presented by the lawyer.

The school district admits this is a genuine recording and fired the aide heard in the recording.

On the recording, you can hear the aide and another woman speaking to the child, one (not the aide) calls the child the name.

The lawyer does not say that the recording is fabricated but fails to identify who's voice is heard calling the child the name if it is not his client.

The school would not allow other adults in the room besides the aide(s) and the teacher so if there was another adult present in the room that was just 'there' and not a school employee, that should be investigated.

So saying that a recording that everyone can hear does not represent was transpired does not just make it magically disappear.

It seems that the way to get to the bottom of this is for reporters to ask the aide who was in the room with the woman at the time those remarks were made.

Question for the aide: Who was with you in the room? Who was that other woman then if not the teacher?

These little kids cannot defend themselves from Pink Floyd teachers. Ridicule that doesn't have any profanity can be as bad or worse. With the new webcams and huge disk drives, recording all activity in schools and daycare centers would not cost that much. Online volunteers could review and flag inappropriate behavior for follow up by the appropriate authorities. This would help with the bullying problem as well. It is sad that we need to document the actions of a few by monitoring everybody but there doesn't seem to be any other way to protect the kids from the atrocities they are being subjected to.

So the lawyer is saying to everyone who went to youtube and watched the video and heard what had went on didn't happen? I know lawyers are supposed to lie to make sure they get money but they're kind of late if they want to try and pull that card out.

Okay people, everyone is saying different things- oh she was called to a meeting, - oh she was not in the room for the first hour,- oh she is responsible for her class even is she wasn't there. Fact is she was there for part of the time. We do hear HER voice on the tape making inappropriate comments to this child. In my opinion ALL staff members in that room are at fault even if they did not make a direct comment to this child because all of the teachers and teachers aides are ADULTS. As adults we know right from wrong. We can make the right choice & stop the guilty individuals or follow along as a pawn in an evil game so you are liked by your peers. Fact is there was not a single adult that corrected the other when they were acting inappropriately to this child. They all allowed it to go on & by not correcting it they too are just as guilty. This includes the teacher. A classroom is not that big so if an issue occurs everyone in the classroom know about it. So for this teacher to say she was unaware of the problem is BS & I don't belive her.

jeez ..not this sh!t again... if she wasn't in the room what do you expect her do.... if it is so easy stop me from cussing you as retards from your home in my home. cant do it can you. wahhh the tardo got picked on, maybe they should stay in the special needs class instead of borking up the education of everyone else and sucking up all the school funding.

If the teacher wasn't in the room then there had to be some other certified teacher in the room that would have been responsible. If there wasn't then she was breaking the law in more than one way. Legally there has to be a certified teacher in a room at all times as long as students are in the room.

Of course there isn't. The thing in question, however, is whether Kelly Altenburg was ever aware of these things happening. The district is currently investigating it and Ms. Altenburg is on unpaid leave.

The unwarranted and inaccurate conclusion is that Ms. Altenburg was involved. Mr. Chaifetz went from saying he didn't know who the other voices were on the recording to saying he is "99% sure" that one of them is Ms. Altenburg. I have been told by a reputable source within the school that Ms. Altenburg was in fact in meetings for most of the day. The question on their minds now is whether she was aware of these things happening at other times. The district is, however, largely unable to comment because a judge has put a gag order on them due to lawsuits.

When there's the TEACHER colluding with the school social worker to tank an emergency IEP meeting and the TEACHER instructing the aides on what to say when she is NOT at a required Field Day and practicing with them what to say when nobody can find her ... then yes, I think we know that she was complicit on those activities towards this one child. This means that it is more likely that she was aware of what was going on in HER classroom.

In addition, the discussion that can be heard about how to lie about being at a required Field Day means that she potentially signed in for the Inservice and never actually attended. If she is conspiring to ditch one required activity then how do we know that she didn't ditch her alibi?

Listen to the additional audio that was NOT included in the YouTube video ...

http://www.hnva.net/teacherbully/

minusjason:

What about all the orther times? The ones that lead a FATHER to have to wire his son????

Have you every heard the saying "When the cat's away, the mice will play?" This happen's all over, not just in school's. What about when someone claim's rape. You can ruin someone's life for a false accusation for not knowing all the facts! I do not condone what has happen at all and this situation should be looked into but this parent went about it the wrong way. He should have gone to the principal, or the higher powers and it should have been looked into secretly and they should have turned on the PA system and heard for themselves. Never use a child as bait - he is just as guilty for putting his child through more torture and now putting him on public display! For what? A lawsuit against the school. Doesn't sound like a very concerned parent to me - sounds like someone who needs there 15 minutes of fame to ruin lives of some people that may be innocent and who want to pad their bank account. You should be ashamed of yourself!!!!

@AKRandy "What about all the orther times? The ones that lead a FATHER to have to wire his son????"

Perhaps you didn't read my post before replying to me. To quote from my post:

"The question on their minds now is whether she was aware of these things happening at other times."

Just one more reason to get rid of tenure.

minusjason the story says she was gone for an hour in the morning you say she was gone most of the day?

On a ship, if it runs aground while the captain is asleep in his bed at night after turning the bridge over to one of his officers, the captain is still held responsible for the accident. This teacher is the leader of her classroom. She is responsible for what occurs in her classroom whether she is there or not. Those aides work for her directly. This makes her accountable for their actions as well as her own. This isn't something that happened once or for just one day, this was happened for several months, ever since this child began attending this class at this school. It never happened before he joined this class. I wish the father went to the police because they would have taped for several days, but I understand the father, upon hearing this tape, wanting to have it stop immediately. I think it's time we start holding people accountable for their actions and duties! This, I wasn't there when it happened just doesn't cut it! It's her classroom - she should know everything that is happening in it!

No, you heard *someone* call him that. How do you know it was Kelly Altenburg?

I mean, how do I know it wasn't you? We don't know whose voice that was.

The district is currently investigating but is under a gag order from a judge due to lawsuits. A reputable source within the school informs me that Altenburg was in meetings most of that particular day and was not heard on the released audio. The school district is trying to find out if she was aware of this happening before they take action.

@minusjason

You're right. I think it was you. And her.

I agree, everything that was said on that tape was disgusting, and if they had been "normal" kids it wouldn't have happened. However, we, the people listening to the tape do NOT know it was her, it could have been the aids. It is also possible that these instances only occurred when the teacher wasn't present. Don't we all know or have been witness to events where someone is talking about someone or something and as soon as a higher up walks in the talk changes? The dad even states that he THINKS the voice he hears is the teacher. Meaning that it could be someone else.

I think it was a great idea for him to tape it, and clearly they got rid of the known problems, and are further investigating. As far as the aids not working in the district anymore, the district can't stop some other district from hiring them. Get real people, start thinking before you jump to all kinds of conclusions, and stating the obvious, duh they shouldn't be working with kids. To a certain degree they have been exposed, and if they get theirs they won't get hired to work with kids again.

@mcj333 Agree completely. The dad went from saying he didn't know who the other voice was, to saying he's 99% sure it was Kelly Altenburg. A source within the school system has told me that the other voice was in fact a substitute teacher, who has been fired. Ms. Altenburg was apparently in a district meeting most of the day. The school should have records of whether or not this is true, and then we'll know.

It's getting a little scary how fast people are jumping to conclusions. Teachers at the same school, who have nothing to do with the special education program, have had their home phone numbers leaked and are receiving death threats.

It appears that only aides were in the room while she supposedly was not. That is against the law. There must always be a certified teacher present. The Cherry Hill district should be investigated if this situation is true. I feel for the teacher if she is being wrongly accused but she should lose her job if guilty.

Sorry, but I heard the tape. The words were unintelligible and the DAD said she called him a "bastard". That makes it suggestible. You are hearing what the dad told you he heard.

@Dianne-1714092

There was a substitute teacher present, who has since been fired.

Hmmm, So if the teacher wasn't present in her classroom when this happened then it's not her fault or responsibility?!

Who's is it then?????????????

Sarcasm ALERT*- It must be the parents fault.

Do all of you seriously think that this whole thing was limited to just the hour that she was out of the class? Seriously? Hell even the tape is longer than that and this was not an isolated incident.

Besides the fact that teachers are responsible for what goes on in their classrooms.

I haven't heard this tape, and I am only halfway through the thread...as a teacher I do find what has happened in this classroom upsetting. What also upsets me is the attack-mode that many have adopted regarding this situation. A few things to consider (not excuses, just things to think about):

Unions aren't all bad...we call them associations here, but it's the same thing. I haven't had to call on my association for help, but it is a comfort to know that there is help out there for us.

Parents are often there with concerns when it's most convenient for them...I've been told to "F off", been called a "B" a number of times, and have had students refuse to follow directives (from me or administrators). More times than not, the parents behave in the same way...or refuse to even acknowledge the situation at all. I've also had students outright LIE to their parents (who believe them) until we have a conference and the student finally decides to tell the truth. (Maybe I should record my students to inform their parents!)

I've been a teacher for 12 years (and don't make the money that some of you on this board would think) and I have worked with people who don't like their jobs. I do...it's who I am. For every "bad" teacher out there there are more of the "good" ones. Please stop to consider what we are put through each day...I know, we are the adults...it doesn't make it easier.

Two words for those who have doubts it was Ms. Altenburg on the tape: Voice Analysis. The father should crowd source some funding to do some voice analysis on the tape. He should also bring this up in civil court. In civil cases the burden of proof of innocence is on the accused. I would like to see her try to convince a jury that she is innocent of violating this child's civil rights.

Have you listened to the tape? I did, and it's not very clear if she said bastard or not. We live in America and I think the woman should not be convicted until all the evidence is shown. It should be easy enough to figure out who the two women on the tape were. One of the three women that was there that day was a substitute teacher. If the Sub was the mean dominate presence that was on the tape, then she probably was only there on that day because the teacher was going to be out most of the day. Hey if turns out it's the teacher's voice than she should be fired, but if it turns out it wasn't than she shouldn't-let's not rush to judgement.

What a bunch of losers. Don't let the facts get in the way, just hang her based on some idiot's recordings. He works for a POS group so his credibility is shot with me and accusing someone who wasn't in the room a the time is simply being a bully. What a jerk, he deserves everything he gets.

maybe she is now teaching your child. bug off jack a..

Maybe he is a "little bastard". The dad sounds like your typical whining parent. Lifes not perfect.

Life's not perfect. Brilliant. I'm sure the father of an autistic child knows this already. He also knows that after paying the highest property taxes in the country, he should be able to send his child to school and not have that child tortured by his teacher, aides, substitutes or whoever was in the classroom. If you think protecting your child is whining, you must be a child yourself. And after reading your name, I see I'm right.

your just jealous of my name cause you didn't think of it. Tortured?? really??

Mary Lou, Each school has a team of substitute teachers that are on call to come in when a teacher is absent. This is probably not a "special needs" classroom. It has long been, at the insistence of Special Needs Parent Groups that special needs students be "mainstreamed" into regular classrooms with their own teacher's aide. This unfortunately can lead to frequent distractions for all the students, so it would seem that the teacher being out of the classroom as frequently as she states she was is a little suspicious, Is that classroom so noisy that a teachers could not hear the remarks made to her students? But the union will make sure she is never held responsible for what goes n in the place where she is supposed to be in charge.

Perfect comment.

Autistic kids require pation, dedication and knowledge. MOst autistic kids have very good memory, can function very well in society, they are very inteligent - but need a pation. My grandson is autistic and he is improving very fast, but we The People are not ready to adopt people who needs special attention. We are very brutal, arogant, and very low profile toward those people. It is shame and the WORST - the teaching staff. Mark

If the news reports about this incident are accurate, the classroom the boy is in is a self-contained special needs classroom, so there are no regular ed kids in a self-contained class.

It sounds like the teacher is seldom in the classroom, and that aides and others are actually covering her responsibilities (like all the time), and the school administration is aware of and approves of the situation. And the excuse that she has been transferred is beyond belief! Heads need to roll, and people need to be exposed and fired here, union or no union!

As a parent of a child with autism, who attends a special class, I am hoping that just the public knowledge that not all teachers are good with children just because they happen to have the label of "teacher" and I agree any teacher in any situation caught bullying, degrading, making fun of any child regardless of the fact that they are special needs or otherwise should be instantly fired with out excuse or delay from the school district. Unions were created to prevent employers from mistreating their employees, not to protect people from taking responsibility for acting like morons

@mcwsunshine

This was in fact a self-contained class for students with autism, one of about five in the school.

mcwsunshine
Mary Lou, Each school has a team of substitute teachers that are on call to come in when a teacher is absent. This is probably not a "special needs" classroom. It has long been, at the insistence of Special Needs Parent Groups that special needs students be "mainstreamed" into regular classrooms with their own teacher's aide.

I take exception that inclusion classrooms are the result of parent groups insisting that their SE kids be included in regular ed. It's well known that kids will mirror behaviors of their peers - good and bad - and that a mixture of typical and SE children in a general ed class is what is known as the LEAST RESTRICTIVE ENVIRONMENT (LRE). School districts will tell you inclusion is a good thing, not something that parents have dictated that must be.

While I believe that Akian belongs in a self-contained autism class because of his apparent profound disability, there are other children labeled autistic that do not have these huge problems. I'll have you know that autistics with Asperger's Syndrome or PDD-NOS have many unique qualities. Many are brilliant, and there are many people that we know of that, given their noted tendencies, were probably undiagnosed autistics - for example Einstein and Bill Gates. SE children's typical peers benefit from that unique knowledge also.

However, many autistics, while academically have great skills and knowledge, are impacted in their social skills and just don't do well in this realm. Many do not have friends and don't do well in large groups. My 12 year old PDD-NOS son is one of them. He has a tendency to be blunt and too honest. He tells children when they are breaking rules whether it's running in the school hallway or playing a board game. He is learning though, that he shouldn't be the rule police and how to interact with his peers. He’s made so many improvements over the years! This wouldn't have happened without our school district providing the opportunity for him to be in regular classes with an aide.

K., I agree with you as well, I seriously doubt, as any reasonable person would, that anyone was acting out of character on that particular day. I am not sure why some people get into teaching, it seems that almost as important as a degree is a high amount of compassion and patience with children, special needs or not. If you ask me, we sometimes put too much emphasis on degrees alone. Someone can hold a degree in something, studY the subject, etc, but that does not dictate they will be good at what they recieved a degree in. These people who were taped do not belong in a field working with children, period.

I also cannot believe people are using this situation and comment board to discuss how low teacher's wages are, while I agree, good ( emphasis on good) quality teachers deserve far more than they earn, but I am willing to bet, those teachers knew this was not a career top chose to become wealthy. These teachers do it because they enjoy it and enjoy children.

I had a coworker whose primary job was a 3rd grade teacher, she hated her job and could not stand children, words out of her mouth. It is not uncommon, I just begged her and other's who realize this to get out of teaching asap. It's a pretty stomach churning feeling to know that you could be sending your kid off every day to a person who is supposed to be a mentor, a teacher, a source of learning, and that person possibly hates their job and children.

If you do not enjoy being a teacher, GET OUT!!!

JB - I totally agree. Think about it - why was she transferred? If she's innocent of these charges then why not continue on in that position? And if she wasn't there and didn't say these things - why would she be transferred? And another thing - It doesn't matter who appointed the aide: the union, the school board, the principal, whoever. The teacher must have known about the aide's proclivity toward this kind of disrespect and abuse yet never told anyone? She didn't just start abusing kids on that particular day, so the teacher is complicit in the abuse. And, does somebody coming off a wine drunk belong in the classroom?

Yes, they do; however, the proof readers are autistic.

and therefor they are also bastards.

I'm just saying.......

Jungle Jack you are obviously suffering, you have my sympathies. Autistics are often excellent spellers; my son could spell xylophone before he was 3, and practically any word by age 6. If spelling bores you, check out the achievements of grown-up likely-autistics like Einstein, Tesla or Newton.

if you've been on here for more than a day you already kNOw the answer.

Jungle Jack

Yes, they do; however, the proof readers are autistic.

What's funny about your statement is that if an autistic person WAS a proofreader, that proofreader would have corrected every single misspelling and punctuation error before the article went to press. That how tenacious an autistic can be.

You are correct in that she probably had little say over who was assigned/hired as an aide to her class. However, if these people were acting inappropriately, her course of action would have been to keep the behaviour documented and routinely submitted to her supervisor with requests to have them replaced. If they were then left in the classroom, it would be on the district and not her - and she would be coming forward with a huge file saying that she had repeatedly atempted to get the situation corrected.

Agreed - if she took the time to keep copies of her complaints. A lot of people don't expect their employers to betray them.

So, if she is innocent of the accusations, and if she also took steps to try to correct the situation, then I really hope she did keep records, and can prove that her efforts at correcting the problem were ignored.

If, on the other hand, she was part of the problem, then she deserves losing her job, and shouldn't teach again.

I'm wondering why anyone thinks this woman will be fired, Hillary Rosen still has her job?

Whatever the true purpose of tenure and meaning of tenure may be, I had a college professor who finally got his tenure when I was in my last year. Prior to getting tenure he really made you work to learn the material and made sure you were fully versed in what you were learning. The very day he got tenure (I know because I worked in the computer science office), he 1) came into class 2) stood at the podium for a few minutes 3) told us to read the chapter 4) turned around and left. This occurred anytime he actually showed up to class for the remainder of the year. No explanations, no exercises, and we barely had tests and often he didn't even show up for class. I felt like i was going to get good training and instead I got nothing.

I still want to know if it was her voice I heard calling him a "little bastard". She sounded in charge of the class. You could hear the other people (jerks) chiming in. I'm glad they were fired, but teachers get more support...I truly think she should face a disciplinary hearing.

Jennifer, the sub could be in charge of the class for the moment. I have heard aids speak as if they are in charge. If she has documentation she was elsewhere, there is nothing more to say except she is innocent. Keep in mind, she did not hire the aid. That would be administration. Normally personnel is not changed during a school year unless it is a crisis, they make the changes prior to a new school year.

I think everyone needs to allow the professionals to investigate this since they have more access to the information. The father is going to be biased as it is his son and he probably wants everyone to pay at this point--I would! That, however, is not the solution. Only those that were definitely present should be removed and the others counseled/investigated to ensure they were not part of anything prior to that day.

Jennifer I am with U Why not ask the FIRED AIDE who (possibly although I agree I think it is the teacher who said it). If the teacher really wants to clear things up take a lie detector test I know they are not fool-proof but neither is apparently anyones word in this situation....and I wouldn't believe a lawyer if they were assisted by Jesus himself....Your paid to lie and use the law to your profit I mean benifit....

bencas unless there is video CONFIRMATION with un-changeable date stamps to PROVE inaquivitably she was not in the class room a piece of paper is not sufficiant proof documents can be alterered or created AFTER THE FACT, and it seems they would, LIKE WATERGATE fabricate documentation. Do U believe everything you read? Because audio and video can be doctored too but it is alot more conviencing to me anyway

King, you are absolutely right. Teachers have absolutely no say over aides. That is done at the district level. And aides are not professionally trained. They are hired off the street with virtually no training. Usually, they are moms of kids in the district looking to supplement their income. Educational aides are paid barely more than minimum wage and are treated like glorified babysitters. The teacher is usually the one who is the only one who is highly trained. A SpEd teacher is even more trained than a regular ed teacher. But, this highly trained individual is handed under-educated people to assist her. So, what is she suppose to do? Especially when the district doesn't usually do squat with the crappy ones? It really is truly insane how things are run and it's all because of budgets. IDEA (Individual Disabilities Education Act) was suppose to be funded eighty percent by the Feds but is funded less than twenty and the districts HAVE to fully fund it, as it's a Federal mandate. Special education is any school district's biggest expense and eats up the biggest portion of it's budget. So, districts cut as many corners as it can.

Not to beat a dead horse but what are the odds that this isolated incident that allgedly happened while the teacher was gone for and hour of a six hour tape, just randomly occured on the one day Dad wired John? Isn't this the real question? Who is this creature kidding? I think I'm gonna change my name to "Notasdumbasyouthink"

You sir are almost as stupid as the 6 isiots who reccomended this bigoted, pathetic post.

What's an isiot?

But when did it happen? don't make assumptions without the facts. It may have occurred during the teacher's free period while the others were left to manage the class. What is long term? Her staff? She did not hire them--teachers receive their aids, they do not have the power to hire and fire. They have to go through a process to have them removed. It is not simple.

This witch hunt is beyond reasonable. Allow both sides to present their evidence then allow the powers that be make a decision. If it is then unreasonable, that is when the FATHER should take additional action.

bencas -

My wife is a first grade teacher in a full inclusion autism classroom. They may not have hire/fire authority but she has been able to get EA's reassigned out of her classroom when it's obvious that there is a conflict with students with autism. It doesn't have to be an EA behavioral problem. You never know until the child is in the class what might happen. Some people's voice characteristics, pitch/volume, can create a problem. Some children with autism are very sensitive to size, appearances, mannerisms, quick movements. You just never know and the schools need to be ready to make adjustments quickly or they're going to run into more of these types of situations.

great points mary

The entire 6.5 hours were not abuse. He played those portions on YouTube. All of you are across the country, you are missing parts of the story.

@mary, 6.5 hours of tape does not equal 6.5 hours of abuse. If the father had any smarts, he would have made recordings for several days running, had transcripts made, and then matched up who said what and when.

This is all like one of those shows where you see 30 seconds of crime at the start, and they spend the rest of the hour investigating "who-done-it" and you change your mind four times before they finally solve it.

My God! People are so damn quick to make a judgement when all they have to go on is media accounts!

I could see the point here if the abuse here was limited to a couple of minutes on one day.

http://www.hnva.net/teacherbully/

There's additional audio at the above link. Also, the father did not include any audio where any other students were identified by name in order to not cause any trauma to the students. He also was not the one who released the full names of any aides or the teacher and refers to them only by first name on the website and on the video because he just wants action taken by the school district. He is not looking for money, he is not looking for people to harm the teachers or aides - he just wants the teachers and aides prevented from working with children in the future.

Really ... not in the classroom!! Believe me the Union attorney for the teacher and the school Superintendent are all in bed together. This Union is an Expert at creating diversions and making up "their own set of facts." Unfortunately ... everyone under the administration in the district is forced to go along with this coverup. Its a brotherhood!!! Christi needs to get involved and put this Union in its place once and forall.

The tape I listened to had about 17 minutes and there were only two women-and it was obviously the same two woman. Listen, if the teacher was one of those women she should be fired, if she wasn't, and wasn't aware of the problem, she shouldn't be. You demand that you children be treated fairly-shouldn't the teacher be treated fairly too? You are jumping to conclusions that fair people don't make. It should be very easy to determine who out of the three women was on the tape. Lets not jump to judgement.

@Mary.... check your logic...

I don't see how any of that negates the fact that this child was called names and mistreated by professionals. None of those questions would change those facts.

Yes, and when he asked if he will see his dad was brutally told no...when it was something he always asked after he sees his mom...it was hurtful to the kid.

Keithsn -

But the answers do change who might be at fault at any given time. If this child was in a full inclusion classroom and Ms Altenburg was the special education teacher, there is a chance that she had a case load of 12-15 students in different classrooms throughout the school. Her interaction with this child could be limited to an hour or less a day. Ms Altenburg would be the Special Education Teacher of record but the classroom teacher and would have primary responsibility for the child. The only person who would have full time contact with the child would be the EA. Depending on the school district, minimum qualifications for a special ed EA may be a high school diploma or GED, clean background check and negative TB/Hep screening.

He was in a self-contained classroom that ONLY had Autistic children in it. He was not in a full-inclusion classroom so the only responsible teacher was the one who is protesting that she wasn't in the room for the first hour.

Cat -

He was in a self-contained classroom....

In that case, I have trouble supporting the teacher.

None of those facts matter. You can't bully a child in any classroom under any circumstance. Perhaps it was cloudy that day too...

I've raised an autistic child (now 16) in public school. The comments and attitudes of most of the teachers and staff are disheartening. First of all, most of them are not trained to appropriately interact with or teach autistic children. Secondly, they take the autistic child's behaviors personally, so they speak threateningly and angerily to the child. Last, the teachers and staff willl lie about what, how, when the child receives instruction and how they are disciplined. Now, my child receives instruction at home because she refused to return to public school after bullying by teachers, staff and kids, for many years. It is a disheartening commentary on adult behavior, educational credentials and lack of compassion for the young student.

rdonham, the father is NOT suing to get money. He simply wants the teacher and aides removed from teaching. Also, your comment is offensive.

rdonham - are you one of those unsensitive, old geezard, neighborhood athiest, witches that hates your life and takes it out on EVERYONE around you? Yeah....I thought so! This child is NOT a vegitable and will probably do more with his life than you ever have. Dont hate because he has parents that acutally care about him. Sounds like you didn't get that perfect childhood and decided to keep feeling sorry for yourself, becoming a nobody! Just my opinion, though but tell us....is it TRUE?

Not sure how atheists got brought into this, besides a serious case of projection.

Do you really think religion would keep someone from doing the same, i certianly don't. And there is plenty of evidence to support it. Next time you want to make a comment about a group of people keep your personal prejudices out of it.