The mother of a disabled child was shocked to pick him up from his kindergarten in Auckland, only to find that he was covered in facial injuries, the New Zealand Herald has reported.
When Milly Tusa picked up her son Masua Tusa from Manurewa West Kindergarten in Auckland, New Zealand, last Wednesday, she was alarmed to discover that the little boy’s face was covered with extensive facial injuries, which appeared to be burns, cuts, and scrapes. She demanded an explanation for her son’s injuries, but staff at the nursery were frustratingly obtuse.
Masua’s mother Milly Tusa told Checkpoint she only heard her son was injured when she went to collect him as usual and was told by staff he’d tumbled down some stairs while strapped in his wheelchair.https://t.co/SuhvYwWrrl
— Checkpoint (@CheckpointRNZ) October 15, 2019
The boy’s teacher told Milly that Masua, who suffers from cerebral palsy, had tumbled down some stairs while strapped in his wheelchair. The teacher claimed that she had attempted to call her four times about the accident, to let her know that Masua had a “minor graze”.
Commenting on the disturbing incident in an interview with RNZ News, Milly stated: “The day that I walked in he was facing the wall, with his teacher next to him but it was quite unusual because he never sits there … [his injuries] looked more like burns, it looked more like he was dragged than he was, as they say, he fell down the stairs.”
She continued: “[His teacher] told me she was standing in front of him when he fell. If she was standing in front of him, how would she let that happen, if she was supervising him, how did he fall?”
She added: “Emotionally, I don’t think [Masua] is doing too well. I’ve asked him a couple of times (about the incident) and all he says is ‘mommy, naughty teacher, mommy, naughty teacher.’ When you trust people to look after your child, especially a child with disabilities, a child that doesn’t talk, it is heartbreaking.”
The New Zealand Ministry of Education has since released a statement, claiming: “We visited the centre on Friday. While there we reviewed the site for immediate safety hazards, gathered information on the incident and were satisfied that children are safe to attend the centre. We also checked that the kindergarten was doing what it could to support its families.”