Educator no longer with Weatherford ISD after video shows restraint of autistic boy

Weatherford educator out after boy's restraint video

A Weatherford ISD educator resigned after video surfaced showing her physically restraining an 8-year-old special needs student on the ground, an incident the parents were not informed about for months.

WEATHERFORD, Texas - Weatherford ISD says an educator who was seen on video holding a student with special needs on the ground between her legs is no longer with the district.

The incident happened last year, but the students’ parents say they only found out about it months later.

The boy’s mother posted the video to Facebook on Wednesday, and it now has more than 60,000 views on her page. The family now wants accountability.

What we know:

Weatherford police are investigating after video shows a now-former Weatherford ISD educator, at Seguin Elementary School, restraining a special needs child with her legs.

Parents of 8-year-old Roman Ashcraft say the restraint happened to their son last October.

"And I see a bunch of adults standing around, sitting around like it’s another normal day — like it’s another normal occurrence," said the mother, Lisa Ashcraft.

"He may not be able to speak, but he’s very clear about what he wants, what he desires," said his father, Michael Ashcraft.

The Ashcraft family

The Delayed Discovery: Parents Kept in the Dark

The parents did not find out about the incident until March, after they say another teacher sent them the video. 

"I feel like when we let people feel comfortable doing these things to children, it doesn’t stop," said Lisa.

Roman lives with a rare disorder called KDM5C. A disorder causing many symptoms.

"So, he in non-verbal, he has ADHD, he has autism, he has an intellectual disability," said Lisa.

Dig deeper:

The family provided us a copy of the findings of a Texas Education Agency complaint into the incident.

It calls the restraint an "aversive technique" adding, the boy’s school "did not follow district expectations or legal requirements related to the timely notification of a restraint…."

District Confirms Employee Out, Cites Behavior

What they're saying:

Weatherford ISD says: "…we can confirm that the employee involved is no longer with the district." 

The district did not elaborate on its failure to notify parents in a timely manner. A district document claims the boy was "running around the playground spitting, hitting and kicking staff members and spitting on a couple of students." Roman’s parents understand it can be difficult working with special needs children but echo the TEA’s findings, that this restraint was inappropriate.

"We need true de-escalation, true self-regulation training on how to get on these children’s level and how to approach them, how to engage with them," said Lisa.

What's next:

Roman has since left the school district.

Weatherford Police Department tells FOX 4: "We are aware of the case and there is an investigative process in place…"