Latest news with #MillsapIndependentSchoolDistrict
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Yahoo
Parents of Millsap ISD students file lawsuit over abuse of special-needs kids
Three parents of students who were enrolled in the Millsap Independent School District filed a lawsuit in federal court this week against the district, two former teachers and two administrators. The parents, Carissa Cornelius, Vanessa Garcia and Whitney Price, are suing Millsap ISD over alleged physical and mental abuse their children endured in their school's special education classrooms, according to the lawsuit filed Tuesday in the Northern Texas U.S. District Court. Named as defendants along with the school district are former superintendent Mari Edith Martin, Millsap Elementary School principal Roxie Carter, and Jennifer Dale and Paxton Bean, the two educators who were accused of abusing the kids. Martin, Dale and Bean also face criminal charges and were arrested earlier this year. The parents are suing on a total of nine counts. Against the school district, these include: Failure to train Failure to supervise Violation of the right to bodily integrity Discrimination and other violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act Violation of the Rehabilitation Act Dale and Bean are also being sued on five counts, including: Violation of the right to bodily integrity Discrimination in violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act Assault Battery Negligent discipline The parents claim that the school district did not provide Bean and Dale with training on proper discipline, crisis prevention or positive behavioral techniques specific to children with special needs. They were still assigned to work in a special education classroom, the lawsuit says. The parents also say that the school did not supervise how its teachers interacted with and disciplined students with special needs. The lawsuit alleges that Millsap ISD, Bean and Dale violated the children's right to bodily integrity 'as they were subject to physical and mental assault by state actors.' It also states that all three discriminated against the students for their disabilities. Finally, the two teachers are accused of assault, battery and negligent discipline, according to the lawsuit. 'By all accounts, these children are beautiful, bright, and deserved the world. Instead, they were treated like animals; physically and verbally abused, and subject to sexual denigration by their teachers,' the lawsuit states. Millsap ISD has not yet responded to a request for comment on the lawsuit. Attorneys for the other defendants are not listed in the court documents and could not immediately be reached for comment. The school came under fire after a video showing Dale and Bean appearing to hit a child went viral, the Star-Telegram previously reported. The video, taken on Feb. 19, shows Dale swinging at Alex Cornelius, a 10-year-old boy who has autism and is non-verbal, and Bean yelling and throwing a toy at him, according to court documents. A teaching assistant filmed the incident without the two teachers' knowledge and reported it to Martin the same day, according to the complaint. Cornelius shared the allegations and the video on Facebook on March 10. Along with the alleged abuse displayed in the video, Cornelius also told the Star-Telegram that her son was showered at the school without her consent and that the teachers called him names and made comments about his genitalia. Martin, according to her arrest warrant, contacted a law firm for an external investigation. She did not file a report with the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services or the Parker County Sheriff's Office, both of which are required by state law. Martin reported allegations involving Dale to the Texas Education Agency on Feb. 28. A report including allegations against Bean was filed on March 3. Texas state law requires that suspected abuse be reported within 48 hours. Cornelius said she was not made aware of the allegations until the teaching assistant brought the video to her. The Sheriff's Office told the Star-Telegram that it first became aware of the allegations on March 4, when Cornelius reported the abuse to them. The Parker County Sheriff's Office discovered at least two other students — the children of the other plaintiffs — who experienced abuse from Bean and Dale, according to arrest warrant affidavits. Whitney Price, another plaintiff in the lawsuit, told police that on Jan. 16, school staff told her that her 8-year-old son had gotten a bloody nose from running into a wall. When police read the nurse's log, Bean had said that the boy threw a fit and hit his nose on either a wall or her arm. Price said her son told her that Bean had punched him in the nose. Victoria Garcia, the third plaintiff in the lawsuit, said that her 6-year-old daughter was another victim. According to the affidavits, a teacher's aide heard Dale call the girl a vulgar name and tell her that she wanted to 'put her hands around the child's neck and squeeze.' Both teachers and Martin were arrested in March. Martin was charged with a felony of failure to report with the intent to conceal. Dale was charged with official oppression, a Class A misdemeanor, and Bean was charged with official oppression and injury to a child with intentional bodily injury, a third-degree felony. Martin resigned from her position as superintendent without severance pay in March. All three women were released on bond, the Star-Telegram reported. The initial TEA report from Martin did not include Bean's name, according to the lawsuit. Bean is the daughter of Carter, the Millsap Elementary principal. Bean is now working at another school in Waxahachie, according to the lawsuit. Carter wrote a recommendation letter for her position there. Millsap ISD has since approved a policy disallowing employees from evaluating, hiring or working with immediate family members on the same campus. The parents are asking for a jury trial and compensation for medical expenses, physical impairment and pain, and mental anguish, leaving it up to a jury to decide the exact amount of damages, the complaint stated. Cornelius told the Star-Telegram on Wednesday that she is now permanently homeschooling her son, Alex. 'We now have no trust in anyone when it comes to our children,' Cornelius said. She described how her son now experiences a lot of anxiety, and he will wake up in the morning afraid that he will go back to school. She said both she and her son are now in therapy. 'It's not about the money,' Cornelius said about the lawsuit. 'It's about holding them accountable for what they did.' Cornelius believes that more laws need to be passed for the safety of students, including having cameras in every special needs classroom and requiring that teachers undergo a psychiatric evaluation during the hiring process. 'I think that until that, and until we start holding teachers accountable for their actions, then nothing is ever going to change,' she said. Cornelius said she hopes that this lawsuit gets the children justice and shows Millsap ISD, as well as other schools, that they can not mess with their children. 'Our kids may not be able to talk, but we sure can,' Cornelius said.
Yahoo
12-03-2025
- Yahoo
North Texas mom says 2 Millsap ISD teachers abused her son who has autism and is nonverbal
A Millsap Independent School District parent says her son, who has autism and is nonverbal, recently experienced 'physical, mental and verbal' abuse by two teachers at Millsap Elementary School. The parent, Carissa Kozak Cornelius, shared the abuse allegations — calling for justice for her son Alex and all special education students — with a video on Facebook on Monday, March 10. The video, which Cornelius said was recorded by a teaching assistant, appears to show one teacher attempting to slap Alex across the face, but it's unclear if contact was made. Another teacher on the video threw an object at him after yelling, 'Quit chewing on things!' Cornelius told the Star-Telegram the object was an ice cream scoop. The elementary school where the incident occurred is located in Parker County in North Texas. The recorded incident happened on Feb. 18, Cornelius said, but she was unaware of any incident happening in her son's classroom until Feb. 28. When she was given notice on Feb. 28, District Superintendent Edie Martin did not tell Cornelius details of the incident under investigation or that it directly involved Alex, she said. This week on Monday, she said, 'I finally got some answers after threatening to go to Fox 4 news.' 'In this video below you can see a small glimpse into the abuse my son endured on a daily basis,' she wrote on Facebook. 'I was also informed my son was given a shower without my (consent) and the teachers have made inappropriate comments about my son's genitalia in front of other staff and students. They have called him names such as (expletives) and many other things.' Millsap ISD Superintendent Edie Martin said in a statement Tuesday the district is aware of the allegations regarding 'teacher misconduct' and said the teachers involved were 'immediately placed on administrative leave, they never returned to the classroom, and they are no longer employed by the district.' She said the district reported the incident to local law enforcement, Child Protective Services and the State Board for Education Certification. 'To ensure a thorough, prompt, and unbiased investigation was conducted, the District utilized an outside investigator to investigate the allegations. At the investigator's recommendation, the District's review of educator conduct has expanded to include campus administration. Both the principal and assistant principal are now on administrative leave while we work through that process,' Martin said. 'The District will continue to cooperate with and support the investigations being conducted by local law enforcement, (Child Protective Services), and (State Board for Education Certification). In addition, we are committed to keeping parents informed while respecting the various investigations and adhering to the legal rights of the educators involved.' 'The district's efforts are ongoing. We are committed to the students we serve, helping those students achieve their dreams, and the mission of the district to inspire, develop, and educate every student in a safe environment,' Martin added. An email addressed to parents on Feb. 24 from Millsap Elementary Assistant Principal Drew Casey, reviewed by the Star-Telegram, notes that one of accused teachers had resigned Feb. 21, effective immediately. 🚨 More top stories from our newsroom: → Sheriff blames clerical error for failure to report jail death to AG → Suspect accused of killing roommate arrested after police chase → Grief lasts for mom who lost daughter to domestic violence [Get our breaking news alerts.] Cornelius told the Star-Telegram that her first contact with law enforcement was when she reached out herself to the Parker County Sheriff's Office and Child Protective Services once she obtained the video last week and learned more about what happened with her son. On Monday of this week, Cornelius said, the superintendent informed her of other prior incidents including her son getting a shower without her permission, getting called vulgar names by staff and teachers, and receiving inappropriate comments. Cornelius said Alex has been absent from school since Feb. 18, when she was originally informed of an unknown incident in his classroom. She plans to homeschool him moving forward. 'I trusted these people. I trusted them with my son's life,' she said. 'I just want answers, man. And I'm probably never going to get them.' In the Facebook post, Cornelius calls out the teachers by name and asked what her son could have done to make them angry enough to 'threaten him, assault him, (and) embarrass him' in front of classmates. Cornelius also said Alex was forced to stand in the hallway alone 'for several minutes.' Also in the post, she asked Superintendent Martin why there was a 21-day delay between the incident itself and the sharing of its details, emphasizing the district had failed her son. 'This has left me heartbroken, outraged and fearful for his safety in a place that should be his safe space,' Cornelius said in the post. 'I am coming here to ask for the public's help. These children, especially those with disabilities, deserve better. Alex deserved better. My son deserves justice. Please share this post. Please raise your voice for the children who can't speak for themselves. All children should be safe at school.'
