HOUSTON – The mother of a 6-year-old first-grader at Varnett Charter School says her son was roughed up by a teacher.
She’s filed a complaint with Houston police alleging injury to a child.
When Torian Brown came home from school Tuesday, his neck was hurting from discipline he received from his teacher.
“My neck was hurting a little bit,“ Torian said.
His mother, Torie Jackson, says when she called the school to investigate, she was told that Torian had gotten into an argument with the teacher, but there had been no physical contact.
Jackson insisted on seeing the classroom security video. When she did, she didn’t like what she saw.
The video shows the teacher jerk Torian from his seat, and carry him over to a wall of the classroom.
The teacher moves him again to an adjoining wall, shoves him, then can be seen standing between the little boy and the camera, at which time, according to Torian, the teacher grabbed him by the throat.
“Actually watching it from the screen you can see the physical and the shaking, and actually more aggressive on the big screen,” the child’s mother said.
Jackson says when she asked the principal for an explanation, she didn’t get one.
“They couldn’t tell me anything, and I’m talking to principal, and all she can say is ‘I wasn’t there, what do you want me to say?’”
School officials released a statement about the incident, saying, "Disciplinary action has been taken against the person involved. Because this is a personnel matter, we have no other comment."
Jackson says she was told the teacher has been fired. But she says that’s still not enough.
“I want his teaching license taken away from him, and I don’t want him stepping into a classroom with any age children cause he’s not fit to be in a classroom with anybody's kids.”
On Wednesday, Jackson filed a complaint with Houston police asking that they investigate the teacher for injury to a child.