The Tribune

By LYNAIRE MUNNINGS

Tribune Staff Reporter

lmunnings@tribunemedia.net

A PAEDIATRICIAN has accused a school that serves children with special needs of abusing her autistic eight-year-old son, alleging he was left bruised, scarred and terrified of returning to a campus that specialises in educating children on the autism spectrum.

In letters dated March 24, 2026, Dr Junilor Swan-Miller wrote to the National Accreditation and Equivalency Council of The Bahamas and Education Minister Glenys Hanna-Martin, using her son’s case to press for wider reform in how children with disabilities are treated in Bahamian schools.

Dr Swan-Miller said the matter came to light on March 18 after she picked up her son from Spectrum Learning and Development Center at 2.59pm and noticed a bruise on his left leg while they were sitting in the car. She said she sent a video of the injury to the head of the school and, two hours later, was told that a teacher had admitted striking him with a ruler.

What seemed at first to be one injury became more alarming, she said, after a physical examination found additional scars on his arms, legs and buttocks. Dr Swan-Miller said her son later claimed that two teachers had struck him on his head, back, buttocks, arms and legs.

She also questioned whether a ruler could have caused the injuries she observed.

Dr Swan-Miller said she told the school head the matter amounted to abuse and took her son to the police station. The allegation has since become a police matter, although The Tribune was unable to obtain comment from authorities up to press time last night.

According to the school’s website, Spectrum offers programmes for children aged three to five and special needs students up to age ten, with small class sizes, individualised education plans and specialised support services tailored to each child’s development.

Dr Swan-Miller said the alleged abuse casts earlier behaviour in a harsher light. According to her account, her son had become increasingly reluctant to attend school and had shown distressing behaviour, including removing his clothing after she dressed him.

The following morning, when she took him back to school for a scheduled meeting with the head of the institution, she said he refused to get out of the car, trembled and clung to her.

The doctor said the experience left her outraged and heartbroken, but also raised troubling questions about how the alleged abuse could have happened in a small school setting without intervention.

She said she could not understand how no one stepped in, whether the incidents happened in front of other students, why she was not notified and how the situation was allowed to escalate.

“I cannot help but think of children who may not have visible scars or the ability to express their experiences; their voices deserve to be heard too,” she said.

Dr Swan-Miller said she came forward despite concerns about privacy, the strain on her family and the risk that her son could face social repercussions.

She said Spectrum has a no-spanking policy, making the allegations more disturbing.

“If my decision to speak out means that my son faces social repercussions as a victim but ultimately helps protect another child, then it will have been worth it,” she said.

Dr Swan-Miller made clear that her concerns reach beyond her son’s case. In her letters, she said corporal punishment may be permitted under existing Bahamian law in some circumstances, but argued that it is especially inappropriate for children with special needs.

She said children with autism often communicate through behaviour and should be met with understanding, structured support and evidence-based interventions, not physical punishment. She warned that punitive approaches can cause physical harm, emotional distress and regression in development.

Her recommendations included banning corporal punishment for students with disabilities, requiring ongoing teacher training in positive behaviour support, de-escalation techniques and autism awareness and creating clearer protocols for reporting and addressing harm to students.

She also called for classroom monitoring systems, closer collaboration with parents and specialists and learning environments that put safety, dignity and developmental needs first.

Going further, she argued that the country must do more than respond to a single case. She said schools serving neurodivergent children should be led by trained special educators, therapists and staff, with ongoing training in Applied Behaviour Analysis and similar interventions.

She also said institutions should not operate merely as business ventures designed to benefit from the growing number of children on the autism spectrum.

Dr Swan-Miller said the country risks raising a generation of adults dependent on government and taxpayers if proper intervention is not provided early in both the public and private sectors.

She also revealed that this was not the first time her son had allegedly faced physical punishment at school. She said that at another school, an educator used corporal punishment instead of behavioural strategies, and she later removed him from that environment.

The doctor said she had previously been part of a group advocating for the rights of children on the autism spectrum, fighting for therapy, education and effective interventions, but had become less active over time.

“The Ministry of Education's mantra, "Every Child Counts," must include my neurodivergent son, my other children, and every child in this country. We have an undeniable duty to ensure their needs are met and to advocate for their rights,” she said.

When contacted, Spectrum proprietor Joanna Neely declined to comment, citing the ongoing police matter.

“I think the lady said that she was reporting it to the police. She has made her report, so I am not at liberty to make any comment at this time,” Ms Neely said. Education Minister Glenys Hanna Martin referred The Tribune to the education director, who could not be reached up to press time.