School in SP is investigated for mistreatment of autistic students; young people have been without classes since January

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The institution, investigated by the Civil Police, was disqualified by the State Department of Education in February 2023. The school’s managing partner says that there are only ‘indications’ of the attacks and that ‘it is very difficult to draw conclusions’. Since the beginning of the school year, around 70 students have been at home, waiting for a place at another specialized school. Facade of the Gaia Educa TEA school, disqualified in early 2023 by the São Paulo State Department of Education Personal archive “My children arrived home [após a aula] dirty and smelling of feces and urine. Until bruises appeared on their cheeks, arms, chest, legs and neck. No one at school could tell me what was going on.” The above report is from Jussara*, mother of two autistic teenagers, aged 14 and 17, who studied at a specific institution for people with the disorder, in the south zone of São Paulo. In April 2022, in addition to having these injuries, the boys also became more agitated, nervous and anxious, says the mother. This was just one of the episodes that led family members of students to suspect mistreatment at Gaia Educa TEA, a private school accredited by the State Department of Education (Seduc-SP) until the beginning of this year. In all, 15 fathers and mothers [leia mais histórias nesta reportagem] sought help from the Public Defender’s Office of the State of São Paulo. Some of them also filed police reports. Jorge dos Santos, one of Gaia’s managing partners, told g1 that the reports are just “indications”, because they are “children with severe disabilities; it’s hard to know if it was someone else who caused it or if they themselves caused it [as lesões]”. “School professionals were trained, and the names brought by parents [nas denúncias] were removed from activities with students,” he said. Below, see the latest developments in the case: The investigations are still ongoing and run in secrecy, both at the administrative level (by means of an investigation at Seduc-SP) and at the criminal level (at the Police Station for Persons with Disabilities). In February 2023, after a preliminary investigation, Seduc disqualified Gaia Educa TEA. Since then, of the 89 students at the college, around 70 are still waiting for a place at another special education institution linked to the government and close to their homes. Some of the students were directed to a school that is in the process of accreditation and, therefore, is not yet accepting enrollments. The Public Defender of the State of São Paulo sent, on May 26, 2023, a recommendation to the Department of Education, so that students are urgently enrolled in other accredited institutions. Mother reports that bruises appeared on her son’s body Personal archive At home and without school, autistic teenagers have more outbreaks At age 16, Mônica*’s son has been without classes for 6 months, dealing with a break in routine that, for people with autism , can lead to nervous breakdowns. “This change generated food compulsion, because he eats more when he’s at home, and aggressive crises that he never had”, says the mother. To g1, Seduc-SP said that, in a meeting with the parents of young people, it was decided that they would wait for the approval of new institutions. According to the agency, “those responsible themselves rejected the opportunity to enroll in a common public school” (where they would stay together with students without disabilities, with special support after school). Renata Tibyriçá, public defender and law professor for people with disabilities, explains that the situation is an exception and that transferring students to a regular school would not be acceptable. “These are young people aged 13 to 17 who have never had access to regular school content. The state never guaranteed them proper inclusion,” she says. See below two other reports from mothers of former Gaia students: ‘If he hears about school, he goes into despair’ Sandra*, mother of Felipe*, aged 14, says that, on August 24, 2022, her son he left school destabilized, crying a lot. “I asked what happened, and the school said there was no time to see what it was. When we got on the transport, Felipe showed his arms and said that the room attendant had hurt him. He made the gestures of taking his arm and said: ‘a lot of anger, a lot of anger’”, she says. The next day, Sandra scheduled a meeting with the school board. According to her, she heard the following response: “Your son hits a teacher, then, when we hit back, do you think it’s bad? Enjoy and get your son out of here.” On the 26th, according to the student’s mother, the school employee apologized over the phone and assured that the assistant would be fired. To g1, Jorge dos Santos, managing partner of Gaia, says that he heard both the students’ families and the employees involved in the reports. According to him, these workers were removed and had no contact with the students until the investigations were completed. Until the last update of this report, Felipe was still without classes, waiting for the accreditation of a new special institution. “If he hears about school, he despairs. He can’t do anything else without me. It’s like he’s always afraid, lacking confidence. Before, he did everything alone”, says Sandra. ‘I went to five psychiatrists to understand what was going on’ Carol*, mother of Luan*, aged 14, says that the boy was always very calm. Until, in September 2022, he changed his behavior: he started pulling people’s hair and holding them tightly. “I went to five psychiatrists to understand what was going on,” says Carol. “I would call the school and ask if he really could afford to stay there.” At the end of 2022, Luan returned from Gaia with scratches on his neck and arm, says the boy’s mother. After talking to other mothers of students and hearing similar reports (of marks on the body and changes in behavior), Carol sought out the teaching board, took a forensic examination and filed a police report. Until the last update of the report, the family was still waiting for the accreditation of Luan’s new school. “I wanted a good, specialized place, with decent people and an adequate curriculum. I can not take it anymore. I need justice.” * The original names of the interviewees were preserved, at their request, and replaced by fictitious ones.

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