A school district in Indiana has issued an apology after a teacher presented an autistic student with a “most annoying male” award, The Chicago Tribune reports. The 11-year-old boy, who attended Bailly Preparatory Academy in Gary, was reportedly bestowed the award by his special education teacher in front of “students, parents and Principal Carlita Royal” in late May. Gary Community School Corporation emergency manager Peter Morikis said the staff member involved faced “disciplinary action” and he met with the parents of the child. A Bailly Preparatory spokeswoman declined to say what kind of action was taken against the staffer. “We acknowledge the potential impact that an experience like this could have on a child’s mental well-being, self-esteem and overall level of comfortability in a learning environment going forward,” Morikis said. “We extend our deepest apologies to the impacted student, the family and anyone else who takes offense to this unfortunate occurrence.” Deputy Superintendent Nakia Douglas also said the district would hold a “cultural sensitivity training session” for staff in response to the incident.
