When Milissa Davis noticed a worrying change in her 12-year-old son Camden, she knew something was wrong at school. Therefore, she decided to put a hidden recorder in his backback, and what she heard was nothing short of horrifying.
Camden, who is severely autistic, had been attending Hope Academy in Baton Rouge, Louisiana — a school that specializes in educating children with special needs.
But after coming home from school, Camden began acting differently. He became increasingly distressed and aggressive. He also started wetting the bed again — something he had not done since he was just 3 years old.
His mother tried to get answers. But when she felt she wasn’t getting the answers she needed, she made a heartbreaking decision. Milissa placed a recording device inside her son’s backpack. What she heard next left her shocked.
The recordings appeared to capture two teachers making cruel and inappropriate comments about Camden. According to reports, the people he was supposed to be able to trust at school were instead making him the target of hurtful behavior.
Mother puts hidden recording device in son’s backpack
For Milissa, it was devastating. She had sent her son to the school believing he would be safe, supported and understood.
“I’m sad and heart broken that this happened to Camden,” Milissa told Bored Panda. “I am his biggest advocate and his biggest fighter for justice. No child should have to have this happen to them. I brought this to light because I wanted my son to be the last kid that this happened to at this school. This is happening all over the world, and people need to learn to accept kids and adults with Autism. They have a light in them that shines so bright.”
Instead, she feared he had been suffering in silence. She also made it clear why she decided to speak out. Milissa took the recordings to the school board, and the situation quickly led to action. The school’s principal said the people involved were no longer working at the school, with reports indicating that two teachers were fired following the recordings.
Milissa immediately pulled Camden out of the school and sought legal advice. Thankfully, the boy was eventually enrolled at another school, where his mother said he was being treated well.
But the experience had already taken a toll. She said her son continued to struggle with severe anxiety and had started wetting the bed again.
School responds
For any parent, the thought of their child suffering at school is heartbreaking. But for Milissa, there was an even more painful part of the story: Camden was unable to fully explain what had been happening to him.
After the incident, Hope Academy’s principal, Linda Stone, released this statement.
“On March 23, 2018, a recording posted to social media was brought to our attention. Apparently, a parent sent a student to school with a recording device in his/her backpack. The recording appears to be a compilation of audio clips, many of which involve private conversations between two adults with no other persons/children present. The recording contains regretful conversations between these adults,” it read.
“The parent never brought the recording to the attention of Hope Academy before posting it on social media. The parent has also refused to meet with Hope Academy to discuss the actions we have taken to address the issue. The persons involved in the communications are either no longer with the school or will no longer be with the school after this semester.”
Linda Stone continued, “Over these many years, Hope Academy has built a strong reputation for competently serving the educational needs of the special needs community. These recordings are not an indication of who we are. We ask that the community not let the actions of two persons reflect on the reputation of and the mission of our school-a mission we have tried so hard to build. We again extend an invitation to meet with the parent involved to discuss this incident further.”
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