Leighanne Bromley was listening to a message from staff at her son’s school, and she later said when she heard the whole thing, her jaw hit the floor.

Bromley’s ten-year-old son with autism had been out of school with a cold, and the message was ostensibly a basic check-in about his return. After the point where the woman thought she had disconnected the call, however, the voicemail recorded an exchange between her and another male staffer, joking about whether or not he could be held out toward the end of the year.

Bromley understands that her son had some behavioral struggles, but was still taken aback by their cavalier disposition. “I was gobsmacked and horrified someone who is entrusted with my son's care had that attitude towards him.” The episode especially rankled Bromley because she’d only received reports of minor problems in her son’s three years of previous attendance, and even his most recent struggles were concerning enough that she’d reached out to school officials on how to best strategize solutions.

The incident also prompted questions of whether or not such disrespectful staff behavior was widespread, since more than half of the students at the school are also on the autism spectrum. In response, school headmaster Rob Jones personally apologized for their behavior, and offered a statement on the school website:

“This type of behavior is not acceptable and goes against the values of our school. We are taking this matter seriously and a full internal investigation is taking place.”

Potential Preaching Angles: Our unguarded moments tend to reveal the character inside. Thoughtless joking can cause incredible pain and suffering, and erode the sense of community we say that we want.