Several staffers at a Texas elementary school have been dismissed following allegations that they bullied a six-year-old autistic girl and encouraged other students to do the same, her father has reported.
Incident Details
Daniel Hall, 37, told KTRK that his daughter, Trinity, was 'manhandled' by a special education teacher and three teacher's aides at Jan Schiff Elementary in Fort Bend County on April 14. Hall stated he was not informed of the incident until weeks later, when Principal Tiffany Agina contacted him to announce the staffers had been fired.
The principal shared surveillance footage with Hall that allegedly showed the unidentified employees abusing Trinity. 'They visibly seen my daughter's teacher pull her hair and pulled her hair hard enough to where my daughter's beads came out her head,' Hall said. 'Also on camera, there's literally teachers encouraging other students to cause harm to my daughter.'
Although the Daily Mail has not viewed the footage, Hall claimed the staffers mocked Trinity and threw her lunch away. Trinity's aunt, Ashley Sneed, told the local news station, 'They babies, they don't know any better. It's bad enough already. They have a disability. They shouldn't have to go through nothing like this.'
School District Response
Fort Bend ISD confirmed it fired a teacher on April 29 and three paraprofessionals on May 4 for 'inappropriate disciplinary actions.' Hall said he only learned about the alleged abuse after other students complained about the same staff members, prompting him to file a report with the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.
'This was only one day of footage, so they can go back 90 days and review the footage,' Hall noted. The Sheriff's Office confirmed to the Daily Mail that they are investigating the case but cannot provide additional information.
Family's Demand for Justice
Trinity's grandmother, Charlotte Sneed, told the local news station that the staffers should face charges. 'I think they should go to jail, you know, because they shouldn't be a teacher. They shouldn't even try to handle kids if they don't know how to take care of kids. That's what their job is for.'
The Daily Mail contacted Fort Bend ISD and Jan Schiff Elementary for comment. This incident follows closely after multiple staffers were fired from Fort Bend ISD's Burton Elementary amid child abuse allegations. On April 29, the Fort Bend Sheriff's Office confirmed that several staffers had been fired after a mother reported her six-year-old autistic son came home with 'unexplained injuries.'
'Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office investigators have confirmed valid allegations of abuse/injury involving an FBISD teacher and teacher assistants at Burton Elementary,' the sheriff's office said. 'We have been advised by FBISD that the staff members involved have been relieved of their employment. Our investigators are actively working this case and are reviewing all students who were under the supervision of these staff members to determine whether there may be additional victims.'
