CHATTANOOGA, TN (WTVC/CNN) — A 5-year-old Tennessee boy with autism was punished for hugging.
School officials at East Ridge Elementary say he was over stepping boundaries, but his family says he didn’t know any better.
"I was sick to my stomach because, first of all, don't you understand he's a 5-year-old? He's a child?" Summery Putnam, Nathan’s mother, said.
Putnam says she received a call from her son's teacher at East Ridge Elementary about three weeks ago about the incident. The teacher told her she needed to teach her son about boundaries.
Nathan is 5 years old, and he has autism.
"If you don't understand how autism works you'll think he's acting out or being defiant. But that's not the situation," Putnam said.
She says the teacher accused her son of sexual activities after she was told he hugged a child and kissed another child on the cheek.
Nathan's grandmother, Debi Amick, took to Facebook asking: quote "what do you do when a 5-year child is being labeled a sexual predator and accused of sexual harassment by the school system?"
Hamilton County schools did confirm the "teacher" submitted a report to the Department of Child Services.
Spokesperson, Tim Hensley says, according to school’s policy: "school personnel are required to report concerns regarding children to DCS."
It's up to DCS to determine if those reports are acted on by d-c-s and what form those actions may take.
"I talked to him 'I said you can't hug children' he said 'Why?' I said because Nathan It's not allowed," Putnam said.
The family thinks the school is in the wrong.
"To bring something like this against a child, a special needs child, really he doesn't understand what he's done wrong," Putnam said.
The school system would not comment on whether the teacher filed a report with DCS, a spokesperson said the sources of those complaints are confidential.
