A parent said her child was hurt by a substitute instructional aide at Brook Avenue Elementary in Waco last week, and she wants to make sure the substitute instructional aide never steps back into a classroom.
Shayla Reese said that the aide left a bruise on her daughter and ripped part of her shirt last Thursday. This came after she said her daughter was sent to the office.
"She came back in the classroom to retrieve her backpack and other things and that was when he just walk up to her, shoved her with two hands against the cabinet. Within the next five seconds, that's how the bruise got in her arm and her shirt got ripped," Reese said.
Reese finds the actions of the substitute instructional teacher unacceptable.
"It was understandable if he was trying to break up a fight [or] if she was being combative, but those were not the circumstances," Reese said.
Waco ISD Communications Director Bruce Gietzen said the substitute instructional aide has not been in any Waco ISD classroom since the incident happened last Thursday after the STAAR test. He has been placed on unpaid leave as the investigation takes place.
"The [substitute instructional aide] apparently had physical contact with the student, grabbed her arm to get her to leave the classroom and not be disruptive and go to the office," Gietzen said.
Reese worries Waco ISD Police are not looking into the incident after she said an officer told her she didn't plan to investigate any further.
"She was saying that basically that she doesn't think she is going to proceed with any kind of investigation... because he said he wasn't intentionally trying to hurt my daughter," Reese said.
Gietzen said the police officer may have been referencing that there wasn't any criminal intent. However, he said that is not the only investigation taking place in the matter.
"Administratively, the investigation is still going on to figure out if guidelines were followed and why the aide grabbed the student's arm and the circumstances," Gietzen said.
The investigation will determine whether that teacher will return to any Waco ISD campus.
Reese hopes he is not allowed to return at all.
"I just want some kind of justice for this. I don't think it was anything that was warned. He shouldn't be just walking away from this," Reese said.
The investigation could take up to two weeks.
Copyright 2017 KXXV. All rights reserved.
