The family of a 5-year-old U.S. boy with autism claims he was treated like a ‘sexual predator’ for hugging and kissing a fellow child on the cheek.
The school board is disputing that, saying no one at the school sought to punish the child or label him as a predator.
Nathan’s mom Summery Putnam claims his teacher accused him of sexual activities and that a report was sent to the Department of Childrens Services, according to Tennessee station WTVC.
"I was sick to my stomach because first of all don't you understand he's a five-year-old,” Putnam told CNN.
“The teacher called me and she said you need to have a talk with Nathan about boundaries. If you don't understand how autism works, you'll think he's acting out or being defiant. But that's not the situation."
Kindergartner Nathan attends East Ridge Elementary in Chattanooga, Tennessee.
His grandmother took to Facebook to express her anger at the accusation.
"What do you do when a five-year-old child is being labelled a sexual predator and accused of sexual harassment by the school system?” she wrote.
"The kid doesn't even understand what sex is."
Hamilton County Department of Education confirmed to CNN that a report was sent to the DCS.
"To bring something like this against a child, a special needs child, really he doesn't understand what he's done wrong,” Putnam said.
The school board told WTVC that it was bound by privacy laws which do not allow it to discuss specifics of what happened in the classroom.
“This family's characterization of the incident with their child at East Ridge Elementary does not capture the full context of the concerns expressed to them by the school,” the statement read.
“It was not a hug or kiss that prompted the school to contact the family. Also, at no time did the school administration punish the child or treat the incident as a discipline issue.
“Moreover, no one at the school sought to label the child as ‘a sexual predator.’”
Putnam told WTVC that her son has now switched classrooms and teachers.
