SPRING, Texas – A Spring ISD mother says her four-year-old daughter was slapped twice in the face by a substitute teacher inside her Pre-K classroom, an allegation now under investigation by the district.
“Messed with the wrong mama that’s all I gotta say I will not back down until this is figured out and until this is done,” Braughton said.
Marissa Braughton says the incident happened Tuesday afternoon at Smith Elementary School. She says her daughter was screaming and crying when she picked her up.
“I get down to her level. I’m like, baby, what’s wrong? Tell mama what happened. And she immediately is like, the teacher hit me. I said, the teacher hit you? And she said, yes, the boy teacher, the substitute teacher. I said, the boy teacher? And she’s like, yes, mama. He hit me twice. And I heard my neck make a sound,” she said.
Braughton says she reported it to the assistant principal and was told it would be looked into the next day. She also filed a police report but feels more should be happening.
“Why haven’t we talked to these students yet? We’re about to go into the weekend where these kids might forget what they saw. They’re four-year-old’s.”
KPRC2’s Re’Chelle Turner reached out to the district and received a statement:
“Spring ISD was made aware of an allegation involving a substitute teacher and a student at Smith Elementary School on Tuesday evening. Campus and district administrators immediately began an investigation. The substitute teacher has been removed from the classroom pending the outcome of the investigation.
The safety and well-being of students remains our top priority. Due to the ongoing investigation, we are unable to share additional details at this time."
“Every school district takes these types of allegations very seriously,” Spring ISD AFT Union Lawyer Chris Tritico said.
Tritico says federal laws limit what districts can share publicly.
“That does not mean they’re not doing anything. It just means they can’t tell them that they’ve interviewed these students, who they are, and what they’ve told them,” he said.
Tritico says the district will conduct their investigation.
“They’re mandated by state law to investigate these things immediately. Within 24 hours of the allegation, whether they’ve done anything or not, they have to report it to the State Board for Educator Certification and the CPS. That report was made, and the state agencies are conducting their investigations,” he said.
KPRC 2’s Re’Chelle Turner asked him what parents can do in situations like this.
“God bless her for wanting to take care of her child and being concerned,” Tritico said. “But just because they can’t do it in the timeline the parent wants doesn’t mean it’s not being done,” he said.
Still, Braughton says her daughter is traumatized and she’s not backing down
“She’s four years old. No child, especially my baby girl should have to go through this,” she said.
Braughton says she has pulled her daughter out of the school and is homeschooling her. The district confirms the substitute teacher has been removed. Whether that teacher can return will depend on the outcome of the investigation.
In a letter sent to parents Friday, three days after the alleged incident the school said the substitute teacher “made inappropriate use of force on a student.”