A five-year-old autistic child has been placed on the sex offender registry for hugging one of his classmates and kissing another on the cheek.
5-year-old boy kindergartner, Nathan, of East Ridge Elementary in the US state of Tennessee was reported to authorities by school officials for sexual offences after he hugged one classmate and kissed another on the cheek following warnings from his teacher not to engage in physical affection.
Summery Putnam, Nathan’s guardian, told News Channel 9, that she received a call from his teacher at the start of September to inform her that Nathan had been accused of “sexual activities” for hugging a child and kissing another child on the cheek.
However, Ms Putnam informed teachers that her five-year-old son, who has autism, did not know what he was doing was wrong.
Following the complaint to state authorities, Nathan’s family were informed that the five-year-old boy will be placed on the sex offenders register for the rest of his life.
“Who do you turn to for help when the school will not even listen to the child’s doctor when he explains the child’s difficulties in his comprehension of simple things such as boundaries?”
Nathan’s grandmother, Debi Amick, wrote on her Facebook page.
A spokesman for the Hamilton County Department of Education Tim Hensley said, in a statement, schools were entitled to report any concerns they had regarding a child.
“School personnel are required to concerns regarding children to the Department of Child Services (DCS).
It’s up to DCS to determine if those reports are acted on by DCS and what form those actions may take.”
A statement from the spokesman reads.
Let us know what you think of this in the comments on Facebook and please share with your friends.