Mother of Autistic Child Arrested for Failure to Comply with School Board

The case of Betsy Loiacono versus the Houston County Georgia School Board has been going on for over a year now, but the stakes just recently got higher for Loiacono after she was arrested on May 18^th by the Houston County Sheriff's Office. Loiacono's attorney in the case, Hatcher Graham, indicated the arrest came after repeated attempts to compromise with the school board went ignored. An arrest warrant was issued for Loiacono on the grounds that she has failed to fulfill her parental responsibilities as they relate to Georgia's mandatory school attendance requirement. Loiacono turned herself in to authorities the next day.

An Incident on the School Bus
Loiacono's son is seven years old and has been diagnosed with autism. Last May, while attending public school regularly, the boy was allegedly verbally abused and "shaken" by a school bus driver and aide. Loiacono reported to the school board that her son had come home with bruises on his arms and lower face. As a result of the incident her son developed post traumatic stress disorder, a condition that according to his physician would make a normal, full time return to school unlikely in the near term. In fact, pushing the reintroduction to school too fast could cause more harm. The boy's doctor recommended home schooling as a temporary solution for continuing academic progress until such time when he could be reintroduced to public schools. Loiacono's request for home school instruction apparently fell on deaf ears because the school board sent a letter the day after receiving her home school request notifying her she was in violation of state truancy laws and could be the subject of further action by the county court system.