HOUSTON – The IDEA Public Schools system terminated an employee Wednesday after an altercation with a 10-year-old student with special needs that resulted in a physical injury.
The family of Darien Crawford, 10, said he suffered a broken arm when a teacher tried to restrain him in class almost a week ago.
Darien’s mom Lamequa Lillie says her son’s teacher called her to report the incident, although, she had no idea of the severity.
When Lillie talked to the teacher on the phone, she says he stated that he believed the child’s arm was broken, however, when she arrived on the campus, the school nurse informed her that the child’s arm was not broken and that he would be OK.
Lillie says she decided to get a second opinion and took her child to the hospital where x-rays revealed the extent of his injuries.
“I just want justice for my baby,” Lillie stated. “I don’t think that it’s right. He came to school. Nothing was wrong with him. So, I don’t know. I got so many different stories, so I don’t know exactly what happened. But, I just want justice for my son.”
During a news conference on Wednesday, the National Minister of Politics for the new Black Panther Nation Dr. Candice Matthews stood alongside the family and civil rights leader Quanell X and made their demands known.
They are demanding that one, staff members dealing with kids receive training on proper restraints for students; two, charges be filed against those involved.
“This is unacceptable. We do not send our kids to school to come back with their arm broken in four places,” Matthews said. “We do not send our children to school for them to come here and not to be safe.”
Following the news conference, the student’s parents, Matthews, and others tried to speak with an administrator inside the building, however, the school was then placed on lockdown due to their efforts.
“Now, they put the school on lockdown, all because we want to know why y’all abused this baby in this school. Why’d you break this baby’s arm in four places,” Matthews said as they walked away from the campus. “Why’d you lie to the mother and said that the little boy’s arm wasn’t broken? Now, you want to put the school on lockdown because we want transparency. We want accountability and answers. Well, we’re going to see what the state of Texas is going to say about this.”
The family has since hired an attorney and hopes to obtain surveillance video from the classroom.
Wednesday night, the IDEA Public Schools issued the following statement:
“IDEA is committed to the safety and well-being of all students. IDEA is aware of an incident at IDEA Hardy that resulted in a physical injury to a student. IDEA contacted law enforcement, terminated the employees directly involved, and will continue to investigate. We are cooperating fully with law enforcement and have been in contact with the student’s family. IDEA takes all allegations of abuse seriously and has taken actions in accordance with the law and network policy. As this is an ongoing investigation and personnel matter, we cannot comment further. All questions should be directed to the appropriate law enforcement agency.”