A teacher’s assistant in the Houston Independent School District has been removed from their position after a mother came forward alleging the assistant sexually assaulted her 4-year-old daughter.
The child’s mother and grandmother, whose last names have been withheld to protect the child’s identity, told KPRC 2 they feel administrators are not being transparent about the situation.
According to the girl’s mother, Aliyah, her daughter came home from Patterson Elementary last Thursday complaining of pain. “She’s telling me mommy it hurts down there. She’s telling me the teacher did it,” Aliyah said. The girl’s grandmother, Yvonne, added, “As a parent and a grandma, it hurts because she’s only four years old. And we have to, we have to be her voice.”
Aliyah said she had met the assistant before and never noticed any red flags. “I actually liked [my daughter’s] teachers. Her teachers were really nice when I met them,” she recalled.
After the incident, Aliyah reported the teacher’s assistant to the district the next day.
Houston ISD has since confirmed both an investigation into the allegations and the removal of the assistant.
In a statement, the district wrote, “There is an open investigation following allegations of inappropriate conduct by a staff member. Anytime there are allegations of this nature, the subject is immediately removed from the campus. We take every report seriously and the allegations will be investigated thoroughly. We continue to be in contact with and provide support to family.”
As of now, there does not appear to be a criminal investigation, and the school had not made the incident public until questioned by the press. The family expressed frustration at the lack of urgency. “I want justice for my daughter. I want to know why the school hasn’t made it public, if this happened Thursday and I reported it Friday,” Aliyah said.
She also confirmed that she has opened a case with Child Protective Services and withdrawn her daughter from the district, choosing instead to homeschool her.
This currently unnamed assistant is among hundreds of Texas educators and staff accused of sex crimes involving students and other children in just the past few years.
Thousands of educator sexual misconduct complaints have been reported to the Texas Education Agency.
No ads. No paywalls. No government grants. No corporate masters.
Just real news for real Texans.
Support Texas Scorecard to keep it that way!
