A school couldn’t control an autistic pupil. So they built this cage

The principal’s decision to order a two-metre by two-metre structure built to separate or calm an unruly special-needs student was a serious error of judgment, made worse by her apparent failure to seek prior directorate approval – and by the fact that “locking up” children has been regarded as beyond the pale for years.

Canberra Times said that the 10-year-old boy is believed to have been physically abusive towards both his teacher and other students and that the cage was built specifically for him.

Heartbreaking photos of a blue metal cage, constructed to confine a young boy with autism at an Australian school, have sparked public outrage.

The principal, who has not been identified, has been sacked from her role at a Canberra school and has been banned from teaching but will be permitted to continue to work as a civil servant in the Australian Capital Territory’s education directorate. The name of the school and those involved have been suppressed for the wellbeing of the child involved.

“I accept that the community rightly wanted answers as to how such a structure came to be”, she said.

“Publishing this photo does not assist in getting to the truth or add any more insight as to why it was constructed”.

It comes after the results of an investigation into the structure were handed down on Tuesday, which described the cage as a place for the student to “calm down”.

ACT Education Minister Joy Burch told the media at the time the cage was “absolutely unacceptable” for a withdrawal space.

In explaining the rationale for the “cage”, the acting principal sent a letter to parents of children in the school’s special needs unit saying: “The school intended that this space provide sanctuary in response to the needs of a student”.

The government has ordered an inquiry into dealing with students with “complex needs and challenging behaviours”.

“School principals must be held responsible for their actions”.

It was constructed by a builder on March 10 and dismantled on March 24.

The inquiry report said professional support and assistance in case management was available to school principals.

“Joy has responded to this appropriately by putting in place an independent inquiry, by looking at the findings of that inquiry and making changes with the director-general of education in a number of key structural areas of the education department”, he said.

Ms Burch said that was extremely frustrating.

“The length of time this has taken did not meet community expectations or my expectations as Minister”, she said.