Madison staff member accused of feeding student dog food placed on leave, district confirms
By Samantha Calderon
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MADISON, Wis. (WISC) — MADISON, Wis. — The Madison Metropolitan School District on Wednesday confirmed that one of its staff members was placed on leave after a mother claimed her non-verbal autistic son was fed dog food instead of a school lunch.
Debra Hawkes told News 3 Now on Monday that her son Jaden, a freshman at Madison East High School, was given a can of wet Nutrish dog food by a staff member several weeks ago.
Madison school officials sent the following statement:
“The Madison Metropolitan School District takes student safety and well-being seriously.
We have zero tolerance for actions that compromise student safety and well-being. When issues arise, we respond immediately and must also follow due process.
The staff member allegedly involved has been placed on leave. Because of student and employee privacy laws, we are unable to share any information about this incident at this time.
We are committed to providing students with a safe learning environment. Staff procedures and protocols are being reviewed, and additional training regarding snack protocol will be provided to staff to help ensure this does not happen again.”
School staff sent Hawkes a photo showing that Jaden had eaten part of the dog food. They reportedly called Debra to confirm that a staff member had given Jaden dog food.
She says the incident has affected her son’s behavior and mood.
“Jaden hasn’t been himself,” Hawkes said, noting that her son is usually nice and energetic.
This incident caused Debra to visit East High School every day for roughly a week demanding answers about what happened to her son.
News 3 Now cannot share the name of the staff member who was put on leave since the district has not confirmed that person’s involvement in the incident.
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Samantha Calderonscalderon@wisctv.com(608)277-5133