Just before his untimely passing at the age of 11, Joshua Sikes expressed his final poignant desire.
The young student, who had autism, passed away in his sleep in November 2024, following “brain death caused by brain injury resulting from head trauma suffered in the classroom”.
Just a few days prior to his demise, Joshua’s mother, Julie Xirau, claimed that her son had been confined and isolated in what was described as a “makeshift classroom enclosure” constructed using bookcases, shelves, and sturdy straps meant to limit students’ movements.
It was alleged that while confined there on October 31, the grieving mother stated that her son lay down and began kicking and “banging his head on the ground”. In a legal action taken against special education provider Southeastern Cooperative Educational Programs (SECEP), Julie asserted that the staff present “observed and took no action” to aid the child.
She also claimed that the employees did not notify her of his injuries when she arrived to pick him up at 2pm that day after being informed of his “misbehavior” in class.
On that Halloween night, Joshua, like many other kids, had wished to go trick-or-treating. Regrettably, this wish was unfulfilled. Trusting the information provided by the staff, Julie, from Virginia Beach, Virginia, informed Joshua that he could not go out, leaving him “heartbroken”.
Sadly, due to Joshua’s limited speech abilities, he could not communicate “the truth about the appalling treatment he endured,” according to