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Mother claims teacher's aide abused autistic son

"That's my baby boy and I failed him because I didn't protect him," Lawson said.
Michelle Lawson with her 6-year-old son, Jason

LITTLE ROCK, Ark. (KTHV) - The mother of a 6-year-old boy with autism alleges a teacher's aide abused her son on the school's campus. The school district says the employee has been placed on leave.

Was a Little Rock paraprofessional (para-pro) out of line, or is this all a big misunderstanding? There are two sides to every story. But Michelle Lawson says, she won't back down until she is sure every child is safe.

"I'm trying to stay calm for Jacob,” she said

It's not easy for her, though. Lawson says she's had a hard time staying calm since finding out her son, Jacob, may have been pulled to the ground by a para-pro in his special education classroom at Jefferson Elementary.

"He yanked me. He pulled me to the ground,” Jacob explained. He said he was sitting in a chair in the classroom when the aide yanked him out of the chair and threw him to the ground.

"That's my baby boy and I failed him because I didn't protect him,” Lawson said.

She says she didn't find out about what happened at the school until 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 18th, when she took it upon herself to call.

"If he was a normal kid in a normal classroom and someone snatched him up they'd be upset. But the normal kid would be able to cope, deal with it," she said. "He's just gotten where he wants to sleep in his own bed. Last night he didn't want to sleep anywhere away from me." Lawson said.

The mother said Jacob sought refuge in his “safe place” under his favorite blanket and cried when it was time to go to school.

No one from the school or the district called her until Thursday morning. By then she'd called the Department of Humans Services (DHS) and filed a report with Cammack Village Police.

"If something happens to your child, then you should be the first one to be notified,” said Lawson.

An Little Rock School District employee herself at Romine Elementary across town, she finds this unacceptable.

Lawson says this isn't the first time that this same para-pro has hurt her child, but the school does not intervene because there is no proof.

"I didn't press it, but I didn't know then. But it's happened again and Jacob's been scared of this guy constantly," she said.

Little Rock School District said, "He has been placed on paid leave pending a review of a personnel matter. We are following district protocols and will not be able to provide additional comments because it is a personnel matter.”

DHS said they cannot legally confirm or deny they are involved. That sort of response is standard policy for DHS.

The para-pro has not been charged with anything.

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