GRANITE CITY, Ill. – A Granite City school district staff member is under investigation after being accused of hurting two students with special needs.
Ariann Davis says she was at her son’s preschool, Prather Elementary, to meet with teachers on April 30 when she heard screaming.
“I was like, that’s my son. I walked out of the conference, went straight to the gym and it was him screaming,” Davis said.
She says she saw an employee hurt two non-verbal kids, dragging one of them by the arm.
She then alleges the teacher picked up the other student and shook him before knocking him to the ground. She called the other child’s mother, Crystal Denton, right away.
“I have to bring my child to places where he can’t even speak to tell people what happened and I have to watch him try to navigate through his own emotions without being able to talk about what’s wrong,” Denton said.
Denton says she has noticed a difference in her child’s behavior since that day.
“He’s been very aggressive. He’s been throwing things. Hitting people and I can’t even be mad at home because he doesn’t even know any better because he’s been assaulted by somebody that he’s supposed to trust,” she said.
Police confirm they are investigating, but Denton and Davis say there is no surveillance video in the gym where the incident took place.
The Granite City School District superintendent Dr. Donald Harris sent a written statement saying,
“We take all allegations seriously, and the safety of our students is our utmost concern. We are fully cooperating with the Granite City Police Department and DCFS as part of this ongoing investigation. We are unable to provide further comment as this is a personnel matter.”
Wanting to give their children a voice, Denton and Davis shared a few pictures of some bruising and a scraped elbow they found on their children.
“This happens often, and people don’t get to tell their story, and I’m here to tell my story for my son because I want to make sure he’s heard,” Davis said.
Police say no charges have been filed at this point.