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Former Texas special education teacher kicks student
After initially denying any abusive behavior took place, Gainesville ISD has now said a former special education teacher did kick a special needs student in a video provided to FOX 4 earlier this month.
GAINESVILLE, Texas - After initially denying any abusive behavior took place, Gainesville ISD has now said a former special education teacher did kick a special needs student in a video provided to FOX 4 earlier this month.
District admits kicking incident
What we know:
Gainesville ISD's superintendent tells FOX 4's David Sentendrey the former teacher did kick the student after the district initially denied it.
"It was a kick," is what DesMontes Stewart told FOX 4 after the initial report was aired.
The district says the incident happened March 4 at Gainesville Intermediate School. An email from Stewart indicates the district reported it to the Texas Education Agency on March 6.
The TEA tells Sentendrey they received a report regarding the incident on March 29, and that the incident is still under review.
Gainesville ISD says it "promptly" reached out to the victim's family following the incident.
Gainesville ISD teacher kicks student
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PREVIOUS COVERAGE: Teacher caught having altercation with special needs student
A Gainesville ISD teacher is no longer with the district after she was discovered to have had a physical incident with a special needs student. FOX 4's David Sentendrey has more.
The backstory:
Gainesville ISD confirmed on April 2 that the teacher, who worked at Gainesville Intermediate School, was no longer employed by the district.
The district says the student's guardian was contacted immediately after the incident, and reports were filed with Child Protective Services, the Texas Education Agency and Gainesville Police.
Video initially provided to FOX 4 of the incident shows the teacher following the student around a classroom. The student then falls to the ground as the teacher makes contact with him.
More video shows the teacher taking away an object the student had his leg stuck in after repeatedly kicking it. The student then kicks towards the teacher, before the teacher is seen kicking the student.
In an email to FOX 4, Stewart initially said the teacher did not follow proper Crisis Prevention Institute protocols, but said the teacher did not kick the student.
"The allegation that a student was kicked is not supported by the findings. While the actions observed were not aligned with district expectations and training, they were not determined to be abusive in nature."
What we don't know:
Gainesville ISD has not said if the teacher was fired or allowed to resign following the incident.
Victim's family speaks
Valeria Fuentes, victim's sister
What they're saying:
"We would trust the school with my brother. It’s hard to trust them now."
The family of the victim, who is autistic, says they initially found out what happened through FOX 4's initial reporting.
"I think they were probably going to cover it up. If this was never leaked, it would be like we would’ve never known," Valeria Fuentes, the victim's sister, told FOX 4's David Sentendrey.
Fuentes disputes the notion that the district ‘promptly’ notified her family.
"When we saw the news, they said that they reached out to us, which they didn’t."
What's next:
The student's family says they reached out to the Gainesville Police Department following the incident.
Gainesville PD says its investigation is complete, and it has submitted paperwork to the Cooke County District Attorney's Office for possible prosecution.
The Cooke County District Attorney's Office would not comment on the pending case.
The Source: Information in this story comes from Gainesville ISD, the Cooke County District Attorney's Office, the Gainesville Police Department, the Texas Education Agency and FOX 4 reporting.