Mom of autistic boy who was handcuffed at Ottawa school wants changes
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OTTAWA — The mother of an autistic boy who was handcuffed at an elementary school last week says she’s taking action in the fight for her son’s rights.
Before she finishes filing a complaint with the police, she will seek legal advice and speak again with officials at her son's school.
“I want to make sure I have everything I need together before anything happens,” Stephanie Hock said Sunday.
“We’ve been told to seek legal advice before we start anything formal, including from the autism community.”
Since being handcuffed, Hock said her son Daniel Ten Oevre, 9, has been confused.
“He keeps asking me if he’s done something wrong and if being handcuffed is a part of life,” Hock said.
“But I keep telling him that he’s not bad and that it’s not a part of life.”
Hock and her husband are stressed, but she says there’s a silver lining.
“The story needed to be told to raise awareness,” Hock said. “Obviously something needs to be done within the education system and with the police.”
And that’s where Hock will start.
She plans to schedule a meeting with officials at Daniel’s school to see if they’re willing to implement any changes to accommodate Daniel and others like him.
“If they’re not willing to implement change then we’re going to have to go look at other avenues,” she said.
“There have been some people in the autism community who have offered to help and bring their services into the school, so hopefully they’re up for that.”
A police officer handcuffed Daniel on Feb. 18 while the boy was having a violent outburst.
Police said if the parents decide to file a formal complaint, they will investigate the officer’s actions.
