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Teach aide tied up tyke
By Kathianne Boniello
August 17, 2008
Five-year-old Christyn Date speaks
in broken phrases and garbled words, fighting through a speech
disability.
So when her mother saw that the
tiny girl had tied a long hair scarf around her doll Shiloh's waist
and she asked her why, Christyn said simply, "Shiloh's bad."
The mother realized Christyn was
playing out on her doll what a Queens kindergarten aide had done to
her. It was her way of communicating her distress to her parents,
said the girl's mom, Marissa Chunisingh.
Before Christyn had started tying
up her dolls, someone from her school, PS 123 in Ozone Park, told
Chunisingh that a school aide had restrained the special-ed
kindergartner by binding her to a cafeteria bench with her own
sweater.
But that wasn't the worst of it.
Chunisingh was told that the girl was strapped down after she was
found locked in a classroom by herself - screaming at the top of her
lungs.
Apparently, the staff did not
notice that the girl had been missing from an assembly for 15
minutes, left behind.
She was later strapped to the bench
so someone could keep track of her, the mother said.
"For a long time, she thought
that's how kids who do the wrong thing are punished," Chunisingh
said.
"What made this person think they
could do this, especially to a child with a speech delay? It's like
the ultimate betrayal."
Christyn's language problems have
prevented the child from being able to give her mom details about
how long she was tied up or whether it happened more than once.
The school has not provided her
with any answers, either. No one from PS 123 has explained what
happened or apologized or answered her questions as to whether the
incident was being investigated. She believes the aide allegedly at
fault has been reassigned within the school, but she can't be sure.
Chunisingh said she felt she had "a
moral obligation" to file a $6 million notice of claim against the
city in June. The filing reserves her right to sue over the
incident.
"I just wanted an answer, and I
didn't get one," said Chunisingh, who said her request for a written
description of the incident was ignored. "The school hasn't done
anything about it."
The incident has shaken the
once-low-key child.
"She used to be a lot more calm and
cool, more collected. She used to be happy," Chunisingh said. "Now
she whines a lot, she's antsy, always looking for attention or an
affirmation. She is such an easy kid to get along with - that
someone would do this is outrageous."
A Department of Education spokesman
told The Post that the incident is under investigation. Meanwhile,
Christyn will transfer to another school this fall.
kboniello@nypost.com
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