One Email - One Call - One Tweet to Help Carol Secure Justice for 11 Year Old Autistic Grandson
Disability Advocates are asking you to take only a moment of your time to contact local media outlets in Fort Smith, Arkansas where Zakh, an autistic 5th grader lives with his grandmother, in hopes that the news coverage will help secure a pro-bono attorney to take his case. Young Zakh has been charged with felonies after he experienced extreme sensory overload and had a meltdown while school personnel attempted to restrain him by force.
Please lend your voice and contact the news stations via their webpage or phone at: Channel 5 KFSM, Channel 40/29 KHBS & KHOG TV: 479-783-4040 and 479-878-6088 and ask them to please send a reporter to interview Mrs. Reynolds & young Zakh in order to shed some light on this case.
Today's radio interview with Zach's grandmother was heart wrenching as she described the helplessness of not knowing where her family can turn, or if they will find an attorney in time to secure justice for Zakh.
Called channel 5 and talked with Kevin Fontaine, the grandmother must call or email him ASAP reporters dont wait.
kfontaine@hearst.com
I asked Carole to email me, I'm going to help her learn video upload stuff and/or upload for her so we have video on youtube and for iReport.
Savannah Nicole Logsdon-Breakstone Director of Advocacy 
I've emailed both news stations:
As an advocate and parent who was represented in the Government Accountability Offices hearings on the "Deadly Use of Restraint and Seclusion" in our public schools, I cannot help feel that you must cover the story of Zakhqurey Price. Young Zakh, who is autistic, has been charged with felonies after he experienced extreme sensory overload and had a meltdown while school personnel attempted to restrain him by force.
http://www.examiner.com/x-4959-Special-Education-Examiner~y2009m12d30-Autism-is-considered-a-felony-in-fifth-grade
Please make sure this families voice is heard. We must stop the abuse of special needs children in our school systems.
Sincerely,
Amy Caraballo
This situation is just inconceivably horrible.
I've tried calling the two stations, though I kind of hate making phone calls. For the first number I got an answering machine. For the second one I actually talked to someone, and it sounded as though a lot of other people had called the station about the situation. I hope that will help Zakh.
@alliesperson can you blog it?
Edit: speaking of which, I had better "Practice what I preach", huh! holy mack, a lot of stuff to do. . .
Savannah Nicole Logsdon-Breakstone Director of Advocacy
If you do call the stations, ask for the news desk of the assignment desk, also some reporters only cover certain areas like education or sports.
Traditionally with media it is most appropriate to contact the local newspapers first and then follow up with all the others.
I blogged about it. That was my first impulse, actually.
I received this from a friend who wrote to radio station ...this is the interesting response she got from the reporter.....
AVG for E-mail 8.5.432 [270.14.126/2601]
>
> Greetings...
>
> I'm wondering how much you have looked into this. I have very reliable
> sources that tell me this child has never been diagnosed with Autism. The
> Grandmother who is taking care of the child wants a diagnosis, but can find
> noone who will do that. In fact, the child HAS BEEN diagnosed as
> oppositional defiant .. and that he has been in the juvenile court system for the
> past three years because of his behavior. He's only been at this particular
> school for three months.=20
>
> I understand there is going to be a court hearing on this situation next
> week sometime ( still trying to track that down ) in which I'm sure more
> details will come out.
>
> That's it .. that's all I know .. hope you can help me with more info..!!
>
>
>
> Daren Bobb
> KFSM TV-5
> Fort Smith, Ark.
> 479-783-1191
> =A0
I spoke with Carole again and also had Daren Bobb call her as well so that she could send him the documents containing Zakh's diagnosis. Carole is also sending AWN the dx docs and we will have them on the site. I think it was a little bit irresponsible of Mr. Bobb to sit there and post information without having investigated it. As it turns out, Mr. Bobb is closely involved with the school district on a personal level which doesn't exactly make him unbiased in all of this. He did seem a bit upset that outsiders were trying to get involved with the business in his town. It's little wonder that Carole has had a hard time getting the local media to cover this story. Unfortunately for Mr. Bobb and Fort Smith, AR, it's a little too late to try and hide what they are doing. The autism community is well aware of what they have done and what they continue to do to defenseless children.
I should have the diagnosis documents on the site tomorrow. Stay tuned for more updates.
Thank you Tricia.
Was talking with my mother and if there isn't a HIPAA violation on the part of the school, then there is a Slander case to be made against this gentleman. Though I am not a journalist, so I am not sure how this applies?
Either way, thank you Tricia for taking initiative on this, I think having those documents available will certainly dispel any lies being spread about this situation.
Savannah Nicole Logsdon-Breakstone Director of Advocacy
Thank you Tricia and Sharon. It makes me sick that people are trying to get this covered up by the local media. How is it that they are preserving the town's localism over the life of an 11-year old boy?
I wonder if we might get national media attention for this.
Hello everyone,
I'm Zakh's Grandma. I am willing to send the proof of the FOUR documents stating he has Atypical Austism, PDD, PDD NOS, Austism. None of these are from the school district because they will not run the proper tests.
The last mental facility he was in Habberton House, also diagnosed him as PDD! He just left there 5-09.
Even with all this proof the district continues to deny his autism. They had their own SHILL of a neuro psychologist that was suppose to test him, but hardly did anything. He states his own tests are invalid because he couldn't get Zakh to cooperate. He also states that none of his prior mental hospitalizations did him any good.
THEN the clincher, he gave an educational recommendation that Zakh can NEVER be in a public school and should be sent BACK to Habberton House!
He was NOT in the Juvenile Court System, he was in DHS custody. He is now out of their custody.
He has been in the SCHOOL DISTRICT since 1st grade. (Except 2 1/2 yrs illegally placed in mental hospitals that are not licensed to treat Autism). His brothers and sisters have been in the school district as well. He was at Beard Elementary when taken from school by the DHS. All 6 kids were taken from school, no reason given. Even had police there but no official paperwork saying they could take the children. 4 of the 6 children are diagnosed with autism. After TWO HOURS the parents were called to come and get the kids...they'd been reported for 'suspicious bruising' but was determined to be NORMAL bruising. Because Zakh was falling apart (he was only 8yrs old) they SEPERATED him from his brothers and sisters causing a mental breakdown of this child! This child was also the one we were demanding services for from the school.
After 2 1/2 yrs, medicaid quit paying as they felt he was being institutionized wrongly and quit paying. No money...ok...he can go now.
The reason he has been at this school for 3 months is because he got out of Habberton House in May and school didn't start til 18 Aug. 2009. And for December they have him HOMEBOUND schooled for a whopping FOUR HOURS a week, even though he can hardly read, write etc at 11 yrs old.
We have a chart that shows the last 3 years he REGRESSED instead of learning.
I have nothing to hide.
I can not believe a popular LOCAL reporter would spread that slander without talking to me and finding out what was going on.
Whoever 'leaked' the info is viscious.
More in next post.
Part 2
Darren Bobb from Channel 5 called me and acted oh so friendly, wanting to find out what was going on because they were inudated with calls from people outside of the city who had no right to call them.
He said that the Principal didn't file the felony, that it is something the Prosecuting attorney does. If this is true (I don't know yet), then the school encouraged the 'good ol boy' to file it.
The teacher and Principal chose to go to the designated 'quiet' area for him. They chose to restraint him when he tried to flee that area because they had it blocked. He went into fight or flight. He kicked the Principal ONE TIME and the teacher he pushed her out of the way. I have an interview I did with the teacher where she states "I fell into the bookcase"...not that she was pushed into it.
When Darren Bob called, he made no mention of his campaign against me. He DID tell me his wife is a special ed art teacher at Tilles Elementary in the district. Is that where he got his incorrect information from?
PLEASE SPREAD THE REAL STORY...JUSTICE FOR ZAKH. FIGHT THE GOOD OL BOY SYSTEM, with your help we can do it!
I called both news channels, and let them know that the story had reached me all the way in Colorado. I told them that the issue was very important to many persons of faith all over the country who feel it's our duty to do right by young Zakh. I hope it resonates. I also hinted to each news station that they'd better hurry up and send someone to talk with Mrs. Reynolds, or the other news station might scoop them. It sounded like Kevin Fontaine really was going to do it.
AWN is happy to confirm we have been provided with documentation which leads us to believe that Zakh Price's grandmother Carole Reynolds has been honest in all her correspondence with us.
Great blog Alliesperson! And WTG for making the phone calls when it's really not your thing to do. I am moved by all the emails we are receiving in support of Zakh' and seeking justice for him! 
It may be worth it to email the Prosecuting Attorney Dan Shue, Prosecutor (email address: dshue@co.sebastian.ar.us) or call 479-783-8976 to register your concerns that these charges are unjust and unwarranted. I will post this on my blog, as well, and recommend that those who shared Ari Ne'eman's email with the school emails also share this.
I went to graduate school in Arkansas and know how backwards some of the small towns can be (I completed some post test data for my professor and traveled across the state).
This case frightens me - the public schools are NOT equipped to work with children on the autism spectrum. What are they teaching the special education teachers???
Our son was disciplined for having a meltdown and laying face down on the carpet in 6th grade. The transition from elementary to middle school has beed hard for him. We are fighting our school district for a decent IEP and have had to pay advocates and attorneys otherwise I would send money to help Zakh!
Carol, you and Zakh are in my thoughts and prayers - I'm going to email the prosecutor tomorrow and that horrible news person!
Asperger-Mom and mother of two on the spectrum
I submitted this story to ABC, CBS and Channel 5, via their internet news tips and provided the examiner article as source of information.
I simply can't believe the gravity of this case.
- Eric
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"We must become the change we want to see in the world." - Ghandi