A nine-year-old boy’s school plan said, twice, that noise was a problem for him, and that he needed his noise-cancelling headphones for fire drills. When the drill came, nobody got his headphones. The NSW parliamentary inquiry heard he was pinned down by four or five teachers, secluded for about 20 minutes and then suspended (Report 52, para 2.14). This is part one of my Do Better series.
A nine-year-old boy. Noise written into his school plan twice. Headphones for fire drills.
The fire drill came. Nobody got his headphones.
What the inquiry heard
In 2024 a NSW parliamentary committee held an inquiry into children and young people with disability in NSW schools. One piece of evidence stopped me cold.
A nine-year-old boy had a plan. It said noise was a problem for him. It said he needed headphones for fire drills. When the fire alarm went off, he didn’t get them. The inquiry heard he was then “pinned down by four or five schoolteachers”, secluded for about 20 minutes, and suspended.
That’s from Report 52, paragraph 2.14. It’s evidence the committee heard, not a finding about any particular school.
Why this one hit me
My son Eden is autistic and non-speaking, and loud noise is one of the hardest things in the world for him. I know what a fire alarm would do to him.
The plan was right. Somebody knew what this boy needed and wrote it down. Twice. And on the day it mattered, it didn’t happen, and the boy is the one who got punished for it.
A meltdown in that moment isn’t bad behaviour. It’s what sensory overload looks like. The failure belongs to the adults who should have known better.
Why can’t we just do better?
That’s the question this series asks. Not “who do we blame”, but: if we already know what a child needs, why is it so hard to do it?
The facts
His plan mentioned noise twice and said headphones for fire drills. He was pinned by “four or five” teachers, secluded about 20 minutes and suspended.
Report 52, para 2.14of suspensions in NSW public schools in Semester 1, 2022 went to students with disability, who made up 18% of enrolments.
Report 52, para 2.50The inquiry heard exclusionary discipline was used on children as young as five.
Report 52, para 2.13of students with disability surveyed felt welcome at school. 65% had been bullied.
CYDA surveys, cited in Report 52, p85If your child has a school plan
- Ask how the plan reaches every adultRelief teachers, fire wardens, playground duty. Ask who knows, and how.
- Ask about drills before they happenRequest notice of fire and lockdown drills so supports can be in place.
- Get it in writingIf something goes wrong, ask for a written account and keep your own notes with dates.
Questions people ask
What is Report 52?
Report 52 is the August 2024 report of the NSW Legislative Council’s Portfolio Committee No. 3 inquiry into children and young people with disability in New South Wales educational settings. It made 20 findings and 28 recommendations.
Are students with disability suspended more in NSW?
Yes. The inquiry heard that in Semester 1, 2022, students with disability made up 18 per cent of enrolments in NSW public schools but received 50 per cent of suspensions (Report 52, para 2.50).
Why do autistic children have meltdowns during fire drills?
A sudden, very loud alarm can cause sensory overload. A meltdown is the body’s response to being overwhelmed, not a choice to misbehave. Supports like headphones and warnings exist to prevent it.
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Drawings in the video are illustrations. The boy shown is not Eden. Stock footage, posed by models. No school or person is named.
Sources
- NSW Legislative Council Portfolio Committee No. 3 – Education, Report 52: Children and young people with disability in New South Wales educational settings, August 2024. Paragraph numbers as cited.
