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View Full Version : Autistic student got two Title IX violations, for fist bump and selfie?



jimnyc
05-23-2019, 10:46 AM
Ever try "burst mode" on your phone's camera? I have! I wanted to see how well it worked, but it worked too well! I thought it would allow me to take 2-5 pictures quickly to get the best shot. Instead, I held it for like 3 seconds and it took like 50 pictures!! So I can easily see an autistic person with cerebral palsy would take so many pictures so easily.

And for asking for a selfie? Isn't that like a thingy these days?

And watch the videos of this kid, there's no way you don't realize he's autistic, or overly friendly because of his condition, and even in the manner he speaks.

This is disgusting that people would want to bring harm to this kid. :rolleyes:

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This Autistic Student with Cerebral Palsy Got Two Title IX Violations for a 'Fist Bump' and a Selfie. Now, He's Suing.

Marcus Knight, an autistic student with cerebral palsy, is suing Saddleback College after he alleges that his college record was "improperly" black-marked with two Title IX violations.

Knight, 19, first came to national attention in 2018 when his attempts to make friends landed him in the Title IX office. According to the lawsuit, Knight asked one female student for a "fist bump." Soon after, Knight asked to take a selfie with another student.

The "fist bump" was reported to the Title IX office. And the selfie? When Marcus took it, he accidentally pressed "burst" mode a few times due to his cerebral palsy. The result? Knight had quite a few selfies with the woman, but she later alleged that Knight took "over 300" photos of her.

Knight's mother spoke with PJ Media on Tuesday, explaining that "fist bumps" and selfies are ways that Knight develops a sense of belonging at college. "My son just wants to have friends like everyone else ... why is that wrong?"

"Marcus was famous for his 'fist bump' in high school. There were even few students that had special fist bumps with him," his mother, Aurora Knight, told PJ Media by phone.

But since The College Fix broke the story last July, Aurora Knight had been at a loss as to what to do. At one point, Marcus even faced the possibility of suspension. However, with the help of an ongoing GoFundMe, his mother retained California attorney Mark Hathaway, who filed a lawsuit on Knight’s behalf.

According to the suit, Saddleback College Title IX Officer Juan Avalos failed to provide Knight with standard due process protections on multiple accounts.

Knight, for example, "had no opportunity to question the complainant or adverse witnesses in front of neutral fact-finder(s) at a live evidentiary hearing" and Title IX Officer Juan Avalos "relied upon evidence never before provided to [Marcus Knight]."

How could Marcus Knight — then an 18-year-old freshman — dispute "evidence" he wasn’t even made aware of?

And while the suit glosses over Knight’s autism, it’s easy to see how it could have disadvantaged him in the Title IX proceedings.

"Simply put, [students on the autism spectrum] often do not possess the needed skill set to realize how their behavior may be perceived by other people," Lori Tucker, an educational law attorney and advocate for students with disabilities, told PJ Media last February.

"Even a simple misunderstanding or seemingly innocent misbehavior can result in involvement in a Title IX proceeding," she added.

Marcus Knight has no recourse against Saddleback College except this lawsuit.

While Knight hopes to graduate with a B.A. in musical theater, because of the accusations made to the Title IX office Knight is no longer allowed to be on campus, in class, or in any activities without the oversight of his mother or a special-needs aid.

Rest - https://pjmedia.com/trending/this-autistic-student-got-two-title-ix-violations-for-a-fist-bump-and-a-selfie-now-hes-suing/

High_Plains_Drifter
05-25-2019, 09:17 AM
Reminds of just a little bit ago when we had the festival here in town that culminates with a Sunday parade. I always go to near where it starts and park in the parking lot of the new clinic in town, and then I can comfortably sit in my truck. Well I pulled in beside a ratty little van with two ladies in it, and when I rolled my window down to hear, I noticed that the female sitting in the van, passenger side to me, was... autistic to say the least, and middle aged, so she says "how ya doing?" I didn't look at her or engage her, per say, I just nodded my head a little. I wasn't in the mood to talk to anyone. That's not why I was there, so I rolled my window about 2/3 up but that didn't stop this person from saying something else to me. I guess she didn't get the hint, so, I started the truck and moved.

Am I antisocial, or does a person have the right to just be left alone? I came to watch a parade, not engage in conversation with an idiot.