Mother of autistic student demands justice after other students take photos of him in school bathroom

The mother of a New York student is speaking out after an investigation into inappropriate photos being taken of her autistic son in a school bathroom yielded no criminal charges.

Karen Close, whose son attends Fox Lane High School in Bedford, was recently informed by the school that her son had been involved in a “disturbing incident” in which fellow students had taken inappropriate photographs of him and another student in the school restroom. Upon further investigation into the matter, Close discovered a full week had passed before the school had notified her of the incident.

According to the school, which Close says has been vague about the details of what happened in the bathroom, a group of students had repeatedly cornered Close’s son in the restroom and taken photos of him that exposed him and sometimes included his face. “They had their face in the picture with our children at the urinals with their naked back and their feet,” she said.

The Bedford Central School District Board of Education hired an investigator to look into the case, while the Westchester County District Attorney’s office simultaneously examined the allegations. Neither probe yielded any criminal charges.

“After our review of the facts and circumstances, and in consultation with the families of the victims over which the Westchester County District Attorney’s Office has jurisdiction, we have closed our investigation without the filing of any criminal charges against the individuals over which our Office has jurisdiction,” said a spokesperson for the DA’s office.

Close was outraged at the result of the investigations. “100% the victims are not protected,” Close said. “The perpetrator’s rights seem to be more important than the victims.” Close added she has lost trust in the school system and its ability to protect her son.