ROCKDALE COUNTY, Ga. — Another Rockdale County parent is claiming their child with special needs was assaulted by an educator. This is the third allegation to come to light against the Rockdale County School system regarding abuse within the last week.
Attorney Kianna Chennault who is representing the family in this latest incident said she believes there is an issue within the district.
"This is a system of cultural violence," added Chennault.
Yemaya Lyles, whose son Antonio attends Pine Street Elementary School, said he was assaulted by a paraprofessional on Nov. 10.
"I received a phone call about this three days after it happened. Since that day, my son has been terrified, she said. "He refuses to get into the car because he thinks he’s going to school."
The mother of four said she was able to view the classroom surveillance video a week after the alleged incident.
“The video was seven and a half minutes long," she said. "Being yelled at, he was being just pulled from chair to chair."
According to a spokesperson with the school district, the paraprofessional accused of assaulting her son no longer works within the district, listing his dates of employment as Sept. 18 of this year to Nov. 14.
“She told me that he was fired and wouldn’t be coming back at all," added Lyles.
The concerned mother said that she's demanding district leaders do more by revamping the entire special education system.
“The principal actually told me they don’t even have the manpower to observe," said Lyles.
The Rockdale County Sheriff's Office has filed a subpoena requesting a copy of the classroom footage, citing a simple battery case against the educator. The child's family is also demanding that the footage be released to the public.