HOUSTON – The teacher aides who allegedly stood idly by while witnessing a student with autism being attacked by a fellow student at Jones Middle School are no longer employed at the school, according to Aldine ISD officials.
Veda Cavitt, the grandmother of the victim, called for the removal of three aides who watched as her grandson, Sekai, was beaten for several seconds before anyone intervened.
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Eleven-year-old Sekai has autism, is non-verbal and has an intellectual disability.
The alleged beating was caught on camera. The district confirmed it happened on Jan. 25 as students were leaving P.E.
The video shows a boy in a blue shirt getting pushed to the ground, and then a person in a gray shirt taking swings at him. Seconds later, the boy in the blue appears to be crawling before he starts getting kicked.
In a statement, the district said all three teacher aides in the video are trained and have been at Jones MS for four years. Cavitt said she simply couldn’t pull Sekai out of the school because it would be too disruptive, so instead, felt it was time for those who failed to protect him to go.
“They serve no purpose here. They serve no purpose here. They cannot do their job,” Cavitt told KPRC 2.
The district released a statement that read,
“The incident at Jones Middle School between two special needs students on January 25 is sad and deeply concerning. The district launched an immediate investigation; however, upon further review, the District has taken additional action.
“The District no longer employs the aides present during the incident. This incident should not have occurred.
“The district trains paraprofessionals in nonviolent crisis intervention techniques at the beginning of each school year, and will reinforce that training during the remainder of this year. As such, the district expects everyone to conduct themselves in a manner that demonstrates the proper regard for others and does not tolerate behavior that infringes on the safety and emotional well-being of any student or staff member.
“Our district leaders will continue to work together to find solutions which provide a safe, healthy and nurturing learning environment in our schools in order to support academic achievement, respectful interactions and engagement.”
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