SCHOOL STAFF VIDEO AUTISTIC CHILD IN SHOWER

Monty Cox dances with his mother Melinda Ginger at a recent family wedding.

In WA’s Great Southern region, an Aboriginal woman is demanding a school apologise after two female staff members showered her autistic 11-year-old son and videoed him naked.

Ngarluma-Yamaji woman Melinda Ginger said after the incident that occurred three years ago her son developed a profound fear of showers and toilets.

Melinda Ginger and her son Monty Cox in 2019 around the time the incident occurred.

“I immediately took him out of school,” she said. “I did not want him to be there any more. I understood that he was trying to explain to us, trying to give us signs of not wanting to go to school. I felt as a mother I need to protect him. So I kept him home and I was home schooling him after that incident.”

Ms Ginger said the WA Ombudsman had asked the school Principal to apologise, but her non-verbal son would only understand an apology in person from the staff members involved.

The WA Department of Education’s Professional Standards and Conduct director Craig Ward said the filming should never have occurred.

 “As soon as the Department became aware, an investigation was conducted,” he said. 

“The Deputy Director General and Principal offered to meet with the family to apologise, however this was declined. The offer remains.”

Mr Ward said Staff at Education Support Centres work with some of Western Australia’s most vulnerable students and take any matter of alleged staff misconduct very seriously.

 “Measures we take to protect our most vulnerable students include training and ongoing professional learning for school staff, and processes to investigate any allegations of staff misconduct and identify appropriate improvement actions.”

When Ngaarda Media asked what action had been taken against the staff responsible, or whether they had been asked to apologise to Monty in person the Department did not reply.