AMARILLO, TEXAS -- Westover Park Junior High school students have signed a pledge to stop using the word "retarded." Now, ProNews 7 is going to stop using that word from now on too.
It's part of a national movement with the Special Olympics to let people know the R-word hurts millions of people with intellectual disabilities, along with their families and friends.
Aaron Couch is a math teacher at Westover Park Junior High. His 3 year-old-daughter, Kaelyn, has down syndrome. So he started a movement to eliminate the R-word from everyday language.
"By most kids it's not intentionally harmful, but I think because of this campaign they've learned that whether they intend it to be harmful or not, the word itself can hurt people," said Aaron Couch.
Couch said it is important for the kids to learn that that kind of language is not okay, and they're catching on. "I know that it hurts a lot of people and their families even and I just know this is a really good idea, and this should stop most of this," said Ashley Bell, a 7th grader.
"Words can do a lot of damage or a lot of good and my daughter is going to have to face a lot of difficulties in her life and I'm okay with that but if I can take one of them away I'm going to do that and if I can take that word away I'm going to try the best that I can to do that," said Couch. So all 775 students are signing a pledge to encourage a new R-word, respect.
"I used to use the word more frequently, but now I actually don't use it at all, since we started it I've been very careful," said Madison Snow, a 7th grader.
"I think that if we do this it's really going to change a bunch of us, and it won't happen anymore or at least less frequently," said Snow, when asked about her hope for the future.
That means one teacher's campaign to end the R-word is working. Couch said, "What I've loved is that its spread across the campus and the kids now know that it's not okay, and the kids will get onto each other, which is better than any teacher getting onto them."
Wednesday happens to be the national day of awareness for this cause. If you want to spread the word you can also sign the pledge online by clicking here.
