[ back ]
Teammates rally around runner with Tourette's syndrome
(by Sue Hoffman - October 07, 2010)
Teammates rally around runner with Tourette's syndrome
By SUE HOFFMAN
Solon parents Lisa and Ron Bachman have filed a complaint with the Ohio High School Athletic Association regarding a cross-country meet Sept. 18, in which they said their son, Justin, 13, was bullied by officials because of his symptoms of Tourette's syndrome.
"We're asking for retribution," Mrs. Bachman said Monday. She said she would like to see the Boardman School District bring national speaker Marc Elliot, who has Tourette's syndrome, to the schools to give his inspirational speech, "What Makes You Tic?" The speech stresses the importance of tolerance, she said.
"These officials need to learn that bullying a child with a disability is unacceptable," Mrs. Bachman said.
Mr. and Mrs. Bachman said their complaint is much more about Justin being bullied for his disability than about officials warning him that he might be disqualified.
While seeking a resolution, the Bachmans continued to praise Justin's teammates for rallying around him and trying to assist him during the meet.
"You can't imagine what it was like to be there and see these kids do what they did and the compassion that they had," Mrs. Bachman said.
The Bachman family wrote a letter to the editor published in last week's Times commending the students, their parents and the Solon Middle School staff "for having the courage to stand up and protect our son, Justin, from a bully."
Mrs. Bachman said officials at the Spartan Invitational meet repeatedly told Justin, an eighth-grader, to "shut up" and called him names when he had some loud tics. "They took his number and told him he would be disqualified from the race.
"It was a frightening thing," she said.
About six teammates stood up for Justin, she said, and when they couldn't sway the officials, they called in the parents.
Mrs. Bachman said she was standing with other parents at the finish line and was unaware of the issue that had transpired.
"I approached these men and said, 'I understand there was a problem with my son,'" she said, and told them about his disability.
Tourette's syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by repetitive, involuntary movements and vocalizations called tics, according to the National Institutes of Health.
For some, the syndrome involves less severe symptoms such as frequently clearing the throat or sniffling, Mrs. Bachman said, but Justin, who survived bacterial meningitis when he was 8 days old, has more pronounced symptoms.
After practice Monday, teammates gathered with Justin to discuss the incident.
Justin said before the Boardman Invitational that he hadn't had a problem with officials. He said he did encounter bullying from another team at the Brecksville meet. "These guys stood up for me," he said.
Teammates talked about the Boardman officials. "Most of us tried saying, 'He has Tourette's. He can't help it," seventh-grader Evan Constantino said.
Others recalled how one official said he was a special-education teacher and would be able to recognize a person with a disability. The other kept saying "shut up" to Justin, they said.
For many, the incident spurred them to run their best race. "I ran for Justin," eighth-grader Adam Bozsvai said.
"We felt we should do our best," eighth-grader Grant Pinchot said.
Solon Athletic Director Mark McGuire said he's supporting the family. "I'm supporting the Bachmans with their complaint so we can get closure," he said.
Boardman Athletic Director Dave Smercansky said Monday the two officials at the race in which Justin participated are not from Boardman. The Spartan Invitational was arranged by the Boardman Booster Club, he said, and officials were "picked from a pool of officials from the Northeast Ohio district."
The OHSAA has referred the situation to the Boardman administration, including Dave Pavlansky, a teacher and coach who served as one of the meet directors. Mr. Pavlansky wrote to OHSAA administrators that he would have a report by Oct. 18.
In their e-mail to Henry Zaborniak, OHSAA assistant commissioner, the Bachmans wrote, "My family feels very strongly that we need to educate all the officials in Boardman, including their athletic director and members of their Booster Club, by having them listen to our speaker on tolerance."
Last year, the family heard Mr. Elliot speak at a local meeting of Friendship Circle, which provides friendship to children with special needs. The Bachmans' son, Konnor, a senior at Solon High School, was being recognized as a volunteer.
"Marc (Elliot) took one look at Justin and spent an hour with him," Mrs. Bachman said. "He periodically calls him to see how he's doing."
Currently, Justin has raised enough money to bring Mr. Elliot to speak in the Solon School District and he continues his fund-raising efforts to enable Mr. Elliot's message to be heard throughout Northeast Ohio, Mrs. Bachman said.
[ back ]
