HOUSTON – A Houston Independent School District parent wants answers after she says her 5-year-old daughter was touched inappropriately at school by her classmate. The incident happened Thursday at Wainwright Elementary School.
“I contacted you guys because I need my daughter to have a voice. She is only five,” said the mother, Samantha Liserio.
“A little boy put his hands down her pants,” she added.
Liserio says she was not notified about the incident until the pre-kindergartener’s grandmother picked her up at the end of the school day, and she says the assistant principal gave them very little information.
“She didn’t say when it happened, who did it, what exactly happened. She just said that there was an incident at school,” said Liserio.
So, Liserio turned to her 5-year-old for the information.
“Me just telling her, ‘It’s not your fault. You are not in trouble. I just want to know what happened because I need to know whoever hurt you is held responsible.’ She just basically said, ‘A little boy touched me, and he put his hands in my pants, and he touched me in my private part, and he shouldn’t have,’” said Liserio.
Liserio took her daughter to the emergency room and filed a police report.
“Just to be on the safe side, you know? I have to go, and make sure my daughter is okay,” she said.
HISD sent KPRC 2 a statement that reads,
“Please know that the district takes all matters of this nature seriously as the safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. The district is aware of the allegations and an investigation is ongoing. Due to the nature of the allegations and the Family Education Right’s Privacy Act (FERPA), HISD cannot provide additional information at this time.”
Liserio says this isn’t the first time the school has left her in the dark, but she says this case is the most concerning.
“I already had so many incidents with this school and complained to them multiple times, and it just gets swept under the rug,” she said.
“I just really need answers from the school,” she added.
Liserio took all of her kids out of Wainwright Elementary and plans to find them a new school. She says her daughter will see a therapist to help her through the traumatic experience.