Just before his untimely passing at the age of only 11 years old, Joshua Sikes expressed one final poignant desire.
The young student, who had autism, passed away in his sleep in November 2024, having experienced “brain death due to a brain injury from the head trauma that occurred in the classroom”.
Just a few days before his death, Joshua’s mother, Julie Xirau, claimed that her son had been “restrained and isolated” in what was described as a “makeshift classroom enclosure” constructed from bookshelves, bookcases, and sturdy straps meant to confine students’ movements.
While reportedly confined there on October 31, the distraught mother alleges that her son lay down and began kicking and hitting his head on the floor. According to a lawsuit filed against special education provider Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP), Julie asserts that staff members “stood by and took no action” to help the child.
She also claims that the employees failed to notify her of his injuries when she arrived to pick him up at 2pm that day, following reports that he had been “misbehaving” in class.
That night was Halloween, and Joshua, like many other children, had aspirations of going trick-or-treating. Sadly, this plan was thwarted. Believing the account provided by the staff, Julie, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, told Joshua he couldn’t go, leaving him “heartbroken”.
Regrettably, due to Joshua’s limited ability to communicate verbally, he couldn’t convey “the true extent of the appalling
