Autistic girl, 14, refuses to attend public school for eight months because mom ... trends now
An autistic teen from Massachusetts who refused to attend public school for eight months suffered a panic attack after a judge ordered her to return to class.
Samantha Frechon, 14, was taken from East Middle School in Braintree to a local hospital on Tuesday. It was only her second day at the public school.
She enrolled earlier this week at the behest of Norfolk County Superior Court Judge Catherine Ham. This transition marked Samantha's first time attending a non-specialized institution since she was eight years old.
After the teen, who has multiple disabilities, was hospitalized, Ham released a modified order that will no longer require her to attend the public middle school.
The judge did not honor a request from Samantha and her mother, Alicja, who had asked for the teen to return to her previous private school at the expense of Braintree Public Schools.
Samantha Frechon, 14 (pictured with her mother Alicja), suffered a panic attack two days in to her return to public school
The Massachusetts teen, who is autistic and has several other disabilities, had not attended a non-specialized school since she was eight years old
Before enrolling at East Middle School (pictured) at the request of Judge Catherine Ham, Samantha had gone eight months without any schooling
However, Ham did order the district to send the student to a cheaper private school geared towards working with disabled students.
Samantha had not attended a single day of school since the start of the academic year prior to enrolling at East Middle.
She previously attended Fusion Academy, a private school in Hingham that bills itself as 'the world's most specialized school,' according to its website.
Braintree footed the cost of Samantha's seventh-grade education under federal special education law, which requires public school districts to cover the costs of private tuition when they fail to meet a student's needs themselves.
Despite excelling academically and socially at Fusion Academy, the district decided not to reenroll her for her eighth-grade year. Rather, she was given only one option - daily tutoring at the town library.
The girl's mother has continually butted heads with the Braintree school district, demanding they help her daughter meet her academic needs.
But in her order, Ham wrote, 'It is clear to the Court that the mother only wants her child to succeed at Fusion, and Fusion only.'
According to the judge, Braintree had argued that Fusion could not meet the demands of Samantha's special education.
Frechon was furious when the district refused to foot the bill for her daughter to return to Fusion Academy, a private school specializing in one-on-one instruction
The district argued Fusion Academy (pictured) was unable to meet her needs, but amid an $8 million budget deficit, the
