HOUSTON – A teacher at Browning Elementary has been removed from the classroom after being accused of mistreating a special needs student, Houston ISD said.
The alleged incident was witnessed by classmates Feb. 10.
"I was just in a state of shock when I found out," Elizabeth Landin, the boy's mother said. "This is not how you treat someone else' child."
The third-grader claims his teacher became frustrated with him after he returned from recess crying. He claims she told him to "shut up" several times before approaching him from behind while he was sitting on the floor.
He said with a knee to his back, the teacher pulled his jacket over his mouth. The 9-year-old claims she held it there for several minutes before he stopped crying.
The boy's parents said the woman had been their son's teacher for the last three years without any problems.
"I haven't heard anything from her about why this happened," Landin said. "Even if she just snapped, she's human. But still, it's not OK."
The boy's parents said it's been more than two weeks since the alleged incident and still haven't heard an explanation from anyone at the school.
The district said in a released statement, "HISD is currently investigating reports of possible mistreatment of a student by a teacher at Browning Elementary. Upon learning of the allegations, the teacher was immediately removed from the classroom and re-assigned pending the outcome of the investigation. The safety of our students and staff is always our top priority. The HISD Police Department has been notified and an investigation is underway."