BERWYN, Ill. (WBBM NEWSRADIO) -- A boy with autism came home from his school in Berwyn with permanent marker on his back and head, and his parents want to know who did it.
Gianna Fata-Roden, 8, has limited speech skills. His mother, Lucia Roden, told CBS 2 her son seemed upset when he got off the school bus Tuesday from Prairie Oak Elementary School, and when he changed his shirt, she saw the marks.
“Someone had drew on his back of squiggly lines,” she said.
He was unable to tell his mother how the permanent marker got on his shoulders and the back of his head. She told CBS 2 she feels like she needs to speak up for him.
“I want to know what the gap is here – how did this happen, you know? I just want answers,” Lucia Roden said. “Any mom would want answers.”
His parents called the school and asked what happened, because he’s in a special one-on-one classroom with the highest level of supervision.
His father, Steven Roden, said "everybody’s just pointing the fingers at each other and nobody’s taking responsibility."
The family said this is not the first time they have been concerned with the school's supervision.
They said a couple months ago, they got a call that his teachers lost him. Fortunately, he was soon found on a different floor in the building.
“It’s a continued pattern over there,” Steven Roden said.
The Rodens said they want the school district to reassess the plan for supervising its special needs students.
“I am his voice. I have to make sure that it’s heard. I need to make sure that his safety is the number one priority, because then I’m not doing my job right,” Lucia Roden said. “And I hate this feeling. I hate that I can’t trust sending my son to school.”
The family also filed a report with the Berwyn Police Department. They were told to expect a follow-up call from the school’s principal Wednesday night, but CBS 2 said so far, the family has not received a call.
District 98 is investigating, but the superintendent said she could not provide any information on the case until that investigation is complete.