Story Archive

Botany Bay Elementary School

An autistic 10-year-old boy at a school in Canberra, ACT, Australia, was dealt with by placing him into a “withdrawal space” inside the classroom — a six-foot cubical cage made from pool fencing. “I have initiated an absolute thorough investigation as to the why and where ... this structure was allowed to be put in place,” sputtered Territorial Education Minister Joy Burch. “This structure could not be deemed acceptable in any way, shape or form, in any of our public education schools.” Legislators are calling the incident “horrifying” and “appalling,” and the principal of the school has been “stood aside.” Neither the principal nor the school involved were named “for privacy reasons.” The cage has been removed. (RC/Australian ABC) ...School officials in the U.S., meanwhile, have asked for construction plans for the “cost-effective, innovative in-room student disciplinary facility.”