Teacher reports allegations of child sexual abuse...

[Squatch]

Colleen Leduc already had a lot going against her. The Barrie woman was holding down a job while struggling to raise her autistic 11-year-old daughter. She couldn't afford to give the child the intensive therapy she needed, and was forced to send her to a public school in the area.

<snip>

"The teacher looked and me and said: 'We have to tell you something. The educational assistant who works with Victoria went to see a psychic last night, and the psychic asked the educational assistant at that particular time if she works with a little girl by the name of "V." And she said 'yes, I do.' And she said, 'well, you need to know that that child is being sexually abused by a man between the ages of 23 and 26.'"

<snip>

But things got worse when school officials used the "evidence" and accepted the completely unsubstantiated word of the seer by reporting the case to Children's Aid, which promptly opened a file on the family.

<snip>

:wow:

Link

[mainegreen]

1. Sue the school for cash and prizes.

They deserve to be heartily spanked in a monetary way.

It's a win/win! School is punished for being a bunch of dumb asses and the mom will have the money she needs to give the child therapy!

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

7. The Foundation I'm a part of

provides therapy for autistic kids--each case is individual, and there is a lot of testing involved to try and pinpoint what can be done to alleviate the symptoms. These tests are NOT cheap, but I believe that Medicaid pays for most of them, at least here in AR. We often recommend supplements, and these aren't covered. Could be that is what the mom is having trouble being able to afford.

We've had success, though--one young man I know has blossomed--he volunteered to become a greeter at his church!

[proud2BlibKansan]

19. I was going to say

I know of several area agencies that would provide therapy to a disabled child at a rate this mother could afford. In fact, that is part of my job - to refer parents to community agencies for support.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. That is a little off, I think

Seers aren't that 100% sure--they get impressions, but any I know would be the first to tell you NOT to act upon their impressions alone, but rather get concrete information and evidence. Sounds to me like the school district was out to "get" the family by whatever means possible.

[Squatch]

5. "a little off"...are you kidding?

"Seers aren't that 100% sure"

Ya think?

Seers and psychics only use context clues to draw an already gullible fool to a predetermined conclusion...and then soak them for cash.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

10. No seer I know

ever charges for what they predict. And their point is to try and help someone. The hucksters that pose as psychics aren't the real deal.

[QueenOfCalifornia]

15. Well now...

I have a friend who is a "seer" and she is also a pathological liar. She charges a fucking fortune to tell people their futures. She is paid a lot. She has worked for the police and has solved several high profile cases. Also with the FBI.

She makes a damn good living and refuses to give any free advice.

I think she is certifiable which is the reason I finally pulled the plug on our friendship.

Fortune tellers should not be taken seriously by a school. Give me a break.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

28. I agree that they should not be taken

as the sole reason to probe into something like this, as I said before. But I also said that people who are really gifted with second sight do not charge. Just because you know of some huckster who uses "psychic ability" to fleece people doesn't mean that no one really has psychic ability, or that people with it use the ability to make money. By your reasoning, if I know of one Democrat who is a liar and a cheat, I could extrapolate and say all Democrats are that way--and you know that isn't true! (Now if I'd used Republicans as the example....:) )

[GaYellowDawg]

33. They are ALL hucksters

No one is a seer. No one. There is no "second sight." If people could actually see the future, where the fuck were they before 9/11?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

35. So you are an absolutist

interesting.

[Book Lover]

41. So you have no answer to his question

interesting.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

42. His perceptions are such

that there is no point in taking the discussion further.

[Carnea]

54. She foresees she is going to lose the argument,

:evilgrin: :silly: :spank: :hi: :rofl:

[GaYellowDawg]

53. When it comes to this bullshit, absolutely.

When it comes to human abilities, there are absolute limits. Let me give you a few:

No human can achieve escape velocity under his/her own power, and never will.
No human can run 50 miles an hour under his/her own power, and never will.
No human can bench press 5 tons under his/her own power, and never will.
No human can survive unassisted at the temperature/pressure of the Earth's core, and never will.

And...

No human can see into the future, and never will. There is no such thing as a "seer." With respect to psychics, there are only people who fool others, or fool themselves, or wish to be fooled.

[Matariki]

40. Like a blind man arguing there is no such thing as sunlight

with absolute conviction.

[pt22]

48. Some people will fall for any kind of bullshit. No wonder we got stuck with Bush

for 8 years.
:eyes:

[TrogL]

51. A blind man can perceive sunlight using instruments

A deaf man can "see" sound using an oscilloscope or lip-reading.

Nobody and directly perceive gravity but it appears to work for everybody or nobody, no exceptions.

[GaYellowDawg]

52. LOL. How ridiculous.

Place a blind man and a man with sight in unfamiliar rooms with obstacles, introduce light, and you can repeatedly demonstrate, with 100% reliability, that the sighted man has an advantage in making his way from one side to another. A blind man would have no choice but to lose his disbelief in light. It's a reliable, repeatable, verifiable experiment.

You, on the other hand, have no such experiment - only easily shattered truisms like the one you just used. Repeatedly, reliably demonstrate "second sight" or any of that other woo-woo shit and I will believe. Until then, I maintain that it's bullshit, and you have nothing but gullibility.

[Carnea]

24. THERE IS NO REAL DEAL nt

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

26. You have your opinion

I have mine.

[Carnea]

29. It's no more an opinion as gravity is an opinion. Thinking you can see the future is a

perfectly common form of mental illness. We all have insights and we recall the ones that were right. Thats normal. When you start doing the same for other people it's a disorder.

[varkam]

43. Ah, the no-true-psychic gambit...

Okay, I'll bite here. Who would you consider to be a "real" psychic?

[varkam]

3. Can you say "civil suit"?

I bet that mother can.

:crazy:

[Winterblues]

4. Let's hope it doesn't turn out to be true but sometimes these people

have been right on with their insights. I guess time will tell and I am sure we will see a lot of ridicule here from those that believe they know all. :shrug:

[Book Lover]

8. The young girl had an audio-recording GPS unit on her

that disproved the fraudulent claim.

[SteppingRazor]

11. What's this, a scientific device disproving a ridiculous huckster?

Oh, come now! Surely, that can't have happened.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

13. Intuition has proven correct in some instances

But anyone I know who uses intuition or has visions is very very careful about talking about them. There are repercussions--this being a horrid example--and anyone who is dealing with matters like these is aware of the fact that these repercussions will fall on them--hard. But then again, anyone I know who is doing psychic work of this nature doesn't charge for it, either.

I hope that, in this case, the "psychic" is a phoney huckster trying to stir up things.

[NashVegas]

20. Yeah, That Was Kind of Dumb, But

The part of the story where it talks about autistics and sexualized behavior. Has it more to do with the mental illness, or to do with those who take advantage of others who have one? "Who's going to believe ..."

But these days, who knows, with what you can get on the internet.

[alarimer]

49. Yes, it's called guessing

and it's right a small percentage of the time too. Psychics are charlatans, nothing more and should NEVER be used as evidence of anything.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

36. You know what?

Your guess about seeing ridicule from those who claim to know it all has proven to be correct!

[SteppingRazor]

6. AAAAAAAAAAAARGGHH!!!

(the post title was the noise I make when my brain explodes)

I blame the TV show Medium. :silly:


Seriously, though, is there not some way to charge the TA and/or the psychic, or maybe make them pay for the ensuing investigation? Christ, what idiocy.

[TexasObserver]

50. I love MEDIUM!! But I recognize it's a TV show.

I like the show, but don't think it's reality. It's fantasy, just like Star Trek, with suspension of disbelief essential to viewing pleasure.

I do believe there is such a thing as ESP, but it escapes scientific certainty and measurement. I don't believe those who rent themselves out as psychics are psychics. I do believe they're con artists, like preachers, priests and other snake oil snakesmen.

I also believe there are real psychics, just as I believe there are real spiritualists. I don't think one has to pay either, however.

This case mentioned in the OP is clearly a scammer, but more importantly, who are the idiots who acted upon this information? That's the government involvement that went over the line.

[madaboutharry]

9. Several people need to lose their jobs.

They are incompetent and stupid. They should not be around children.

[aikoaiko]

12. Is this Canada? Shit like this even happens there?

No place is safe from the mindlessness of school administrators.

[Name removed]

25. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[LibertyLover]

14. I do believe that people have abilities to be, well, psychic

and can "see" information that is hidden, but this is plain stupid. Such "evidence" wouldn't be admitted in a court of law - in fact it would probably be quashed, so why did Children's Aid even think about acting on it? That mom has a great law suit on her hands.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

37. I agree with you

as I know people who can do this. However, they would never allow their abilities to be used in the manner described here. And you are right--it is not admissible in a court--what were the authorities thinking when they did this?

[Dont_Bogart_the_Pretzel]

16. again...this is 2008...NOT 1500_Dark or Medival ages

:crazy:

[proud2BlibKansan]

17. WTF!?!

I don't think a psychic's "vision" qualifies as a mandated report under the child abuse laws.

Also gotta comment on the bias against public schools: "was forced to send her to a public school in the area". As a special ed teacher in a public school I would like to assure parents that we do an excellent job of meeting their children's needs. Just because this one school has an idiot for an administrator doesn't mean your typical special ed teacher would report what a psychic said about a child.

[MrCoffee]

18. I see a large cash settlement in your future....oooOOOOoooo

[truebrit71]

21. The case was opened on the basis of a fucking psychic? Are you fucking kidding me?

Holy fucking shit...

That just blows my mind....

[TexasObserver]

22. I like the TV show MEDIUM, too, but DAYAM!! It's a TV show!!

I can't believe some idiot who went to a "psychic" used such thin information to make a report to CPS. Unfortunately, I can believe that one of the idiots at CPS opened a file and investigated it. They don't hire them because they're smart. They hire them because they'll work cheap.

[joeglow3]

23. It all made sense until....

"Her goal: get the board to pay for the IBI therapy she believes her child should have had in the first place. She wants them to foot the bill for the expensive treatment - it can cost more than $50,000 annually - at least for the rest of the semester."

-What does this have to do with the issue? If her daughter needed the treatment all along, why should the school pay for it?

[Book Lover]

39. In the United States

all children are entitled to a free and equal public education. Special needs children have additional needs; for autistic children, that includes ABA/IBI (that is, behavioral) training/therapy as well as academic training. That is why her child should receive this "treatment" (incorrect use of terminology, but I'll let it go) via the mechanism of the public schools, at least that is US theory. I can't speak for Canada, obviously.

[joeglow3]

44. Fair enough

I was under the impression it was more medical. Thus, I would think it would be more a state government issue that a school issue. However, if it is for education, that is the reason I have no problem paying property taxes, even though my kids go to private schools.

[DadOf2LittleAngels]

27. Well its for the kids, better safe then sorry oyu know...

/sarc

[Snarkturian Clone]

30. Dammit, I've missed a good career.

I think I'll start a mail-away psychic network... charge people like $15 each and then tell them bullshit like "you're lucky number is 16!" and stuff like that... I'd be a millionaire with all the gullible fuckwads who believe in this shit.

[Irreverend IX]

31. And still people wonder...

Why some of us get so riled up by astrology, crystal healing, "lightworkers" and other such bullshit. It's a very short step from this kind of stuff to Heaven's Gate and the Inquisition.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

38. Then I guess you never go to the Astro Forum, do you?

:)

But then the folks there wouldn't call you names, either.

[GaYellowDawg]

32. What will they do next, read goat entrails?

What a giant steaming load of manure. That poor woman needs to sue the hell out of the school, and every single school official who took part in this should lose their licenses permanently. Using a seer (e.g., con artist) as evidence is unbelievable. This entire episode is so monumentally stupid that Canadians as a whole have lost their right to call Americans dumb.

[Jokerman]

34. That story makes my brain hurt.

OK, believe in psychics, or whatever you like but using this as evidence of child abuse is way out of line.

The school officials involved have proven themselves too stupid to ever be trusted with children again.

[yella_dawg]

45. I'm a psychic.

Your Republican city councilman is banging your dog. File charges immediately.


What the fuck were these people thinking?

[ulysses]

46. poor child. she'd be better off in a private religious school

where they can pray away the autism.

[Evoman]

47. Psychics? Seriously? This is what you get in a superstitious society with no critical thinking.

What next? The girl's dead grandmother haunting the fake psychic child abuser.

Idiots.