LAS VEGAS (KRON/CNN) — A Las Vegas father is seeking answers after her six-year-old child was pulled out of class over the clothes she was wearing.
He says his daughter, who has autism, should have been treated better.
His daughter attends Harriet Treem Elementary, where her school year is now off to an uncomfortable start.
“Having autism, it’s hard enough for her to try to fit in anyway, and this was the first year they were trying to mainstream her a little bit,” her father Jonathan Lillis said.
On Wednesday morning, just as she does everyday, John’s daughter picked out her outfit.
As a special needs child, her parents say their daughter takes great pride in what she wears, and that it helps her start conversations with other kids.
“She’s a perfectionist with her clothes,” Lillis said. “I’m a pretty conservative dad so I’m like all dresses have to cover the knees,” he said.
It wasn’t until after school Wednesday the Lillises realized there was a problem.
“They pulled her out of class and took her up to the office. You shouldn’t be doing that to any kid, especially a special needs child like my daughter with autism. You can’t just do that with these kids,” Lillis said.
The six year old came home crying, as she wore gym clothes over her dress.
“My daughter said ‘they made me look ugly.’ I told her, ‘no you’re not ugly. You’ll never be ugly. You’re beautiful,’” Lillis said. “I didn’t see anything inappropriate with this [dress], and I don’t have anything from the school that tells me that, for whatever reason, this dress is not okay for school.”
A day later her parents say they’re still struggling to make their daughter comfortable going back to school, and that picking out an outfit today was just short of nerve wracking.
“It’s hard for her because she stands out enough as it is, and something like this happens, and it makes her stand out that much more,” Lillis said.
Jonathan Lillis alleges he and his family received nothing from the school regarding a dress code.
In a statement, the school district says parents are sent dress code guidelines early in the school year.WHAT OTHERS ARE CLICKING ON:
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