Two young children with autism were abused by a special education teacher and a teacher’s aide at a Texas elementary school.
Britnee Vaughn, 35, a former first-grade teacher at Raymond Elementary School in Aldine, and her assistant, Maria Gonzalez-Valencia, 22, have been charged with felony charges of damage to a child under the age of 15, according to KPRC.
According to court filings, Vaughn is accused of kicking and roughly holding a 6-year-old nonverbal boy and yanking a 9-year-old youngster off the floor by his ear.
Gonzalez-Valencia is accused of beating the same 6-year-old youngster in class with an unknown instrument, whom his family has identified as Pablo Reyna Jr.
Both ladies are no longer employed by the Aldine Independent School District, according to a statement released on Tuesday.
The alleged abuse was discovered after the victim’s parents, Pablo Reyna and Angelica Frias, reported to ABC13 that their 6-year-old boy would frequently return home covered in scratches, bruises, and bumps.
Frias told the channel, “It’s painful because he can’t talk.” “He has autism and can’t communicate, so he couldn’t tell me what was going on.”
Following the parents’ inquiries, the school principal decided to take footage from Vaughn’s classroom, which revealed the alleged abuse.
Witnesses claim that the video shows Gonzalez-Valencia hitting Pablo Jr. in the head with an object from her desk after he tried to touch it.
Vaughn allegedly kicks Pablo Jr. as he spins on the floor, forcing him to slip across the room, according to a videotape from March 25.
Vaughn is accused of grabbing Pablo Jr. by the back of his shirt, tugging him up, and then pushing him and causing him to fall on April 4.
After that, the special education instructor allegedly grabs a 9-year-ear old’s and lifts him off the ground, prompting the youngster to scream. Vaughn allegedly threatens to take away the boy’s tablet in response.
After paying a $100,000 bond, Vaughn was freed from custody. Valencia-Gonzalez is being held in custody on a $35,000 bond.
