During the public comments portion of the meeting, the student stood in the center of the room as he read a letter he had written. Ranieri had apparently been suspended from school for two days, but he didn't think the punishment was fair. As he tried to explain himself, the school board's president, Stephen Waldenburg Jr., interrupted Ranieri and wouldn't let him continue.
You have to understand that we are legally limited in what we can discuss in a public session, Ranieri said. You are not giving the superintendent an opportunity to discuss a private, personal matter.
While Ranieris intention was to just self-advocate, as his mother Carina Ranieri told the Examiner, it was clear that the board didn't want to hear what he had to say. It was apparent he was not being heard, she said. According to Carina, her son wrote the letter he was trying to read because the elected school board members are not taking responsibility for Ranieri being suspended.
The teen is given special accommodations through an Individualized Education Plan, but Ranieri felt teachers were not following through with the program. Frustrated, the student reportedly yelled at a teacher on Sept. 27, which is when he was suspended, the Examiner said.
In the days following Ranieris voice being silenced at the school board meeting, a video of the event posted to YouTube on Tuesday has gained more than 8,500 views as of Wednesday night.
Before Ranieris parents attended the meeting, they tried to get a meeting with district superintendent Dr. Marylou McDermott, but after getting an appointment, she reportedly canceled and referred the Ranieris to other district officials.
A video of Ranieri's speech was posted below, along with the full text, courtesy of Patch.com:
My name is Christian Ranieri and I am a 9th Grader at Northport High School. You should know that I have a developmental disability called Autism.
I have come a long way in life as I could not talk in the beginning but now I am able to express my message to you in words. When I was 5 I cried a lot and would throw myself on the floor when I got frustrated. I am proud to say that now I can speak clearly and to the best of my ability try to deal with my frustration in words.
See the rest here:
Autistic Boy Silenced By Long Island School After Possible Unfair Treatment [VIDEO]