The boy’s parents said that the teacher’s assistant should be removed from the classroom after she grabbed their special-needs son with autism and tried to push him down into a chair. The 5-year-old student is also nonverbal and was unable to tell his parents what happened. Luckily, a video sent by an eye-witness captured the incident. The school district released a statement and said that their “priority is to provide a safe learning environment for all students. The district will immediately look into the video and take any necessary actions.”
The parents from Florida, John Fishley and his wife Finola Long, told CBS News that their 5-year-old son, Amani, has autism. Amani also needs special attention, because the child has tantrums, he self harms and throws himself on the ground, the parents said.
Unfortunately, the 5-year-old special-needs student was manhandled while attending class at the Morrow Elementary school by the teacher’s assistant, who was not identified, ABS reports. This incident occurred on Tuesday, May 10, 2022, but the parents were told two weeks after it happened. The video was reportedly provided by a therapist, who was in their son’s pre-K special needs classroom.
Unfortunately, the 5-year-old boy is also nonverbal and was unable to tell his parents what happened. Luckily, a video sent by an eye-witness captured the alleged abuse. When John and his wife Finola saw the video, they went to the Sheriff’s Office to make a child abuse complaint.
In the video, the unidentified teacher’s assistant reportedly grabbed the non-verbal autistic child and tried to push him down into a chair. The woman then seems to be uninterrupted by other adults in the classroom, as she struggles to get the child to comply with her.
According to CBS News, Amani has a twin brother, who also has autism. The parents placed Amani and his brother in a class, which was said to be designed to the special needs of their children.
John Fishley reportedly said: “It was quite horrible to see him being treated worse than an animal. If you are not there, they are open to abuse because they can’t speak for themselves.”
The school’s principal reportedly told the parents that she would start an investigation. The school district released a statement and said that their “priority is to provide a safe learning environment for all students. The district will immediately look into the video and take any necessary actions.”
John and his wife Finola said that the teacher’s assistant should be removed from the classroom and what they saw has opened their eyes to what their children will keep facing.
This incident remains under investigation. This is a developing story and it will be updated as new information become available.