School principal suspended after parents protest autistic children: Minister

ANKARA

The principal of a school which recently has made the headlines after a group of parents were recorded on video booing at autistic children has been temporarily dismissed from duty, Education Minister Ziya Selçuk announced on Nov. 8.

“We will not let any of kids to be exposed to discrimination. There are some problems that our children with autism are going through in the education system; we are undertaking works about this,” Selçuk said during a workshop in the capital Ankara.

“By sending a group of [Education Ministry] inspectors from Ankara, we have launched an investigation process. The investigation is continuing with sensitivity. As part of the investigation, the principal of the Mehmetçik Primary School in [the Central Anatolian province of] Aksaray has been suspended from duty,” he said.

A total of 334 students, including 42 autistic children, are attending that school. According to allegations, a group of parents have been protesting that their children are attending the school with 42 autistic children and were trying to push the school management to send the autistic children to another school.