LOUISVILLE, Ky. (WDRB) — A Louisville mother and father says their special needs child was being abused at school and hid a camera in his hair to document it. The mother is calling what she found "unacceptable."
A video from May 13 taken from a hidden camera placed between the dreads of Semaj' Lee, an autistic, special needs student at Field Elementary in Louisville.
His parents said for months they received several calls and complaints about his behavior, which seemed unusual.
"As his mother, I knew in my heart something was not right," Tiphanee Lee said.
The boy's mother then took matters into her own hands.
"I ordered a camera to be my son's eyes, his ears, his voice," Tiphanee said.Â
On the video, a women mentions how she's leaving the room for a minute, while another staff member remains in the room with Semaj'.
Then you can hear the staff member firmly talk to Semaj' followed by a series of noises while Semaj's head moves around.
"Get off of me now! Get off of me now!" the staff member said in the video.
"What I discovered on the camera footage is something no parent should ever see or hear. Our child was put in a situation where he was scared, overwhelmed and powerless," Tiphanee said.
"I'm not playing with you no more," a staff member said in the video.
The staff member eventually told Semaj' to get away followed by more noises, causing the boy to start yelling.
"Get out of here!" the man said.
"While this was happening there was adults in the room who did nothing to stop it. This is unacceptable," Tiphanee said.
Lee is now calling for cameras to be installed in classrooms that have special needs and non-verbal students.
"No parent should have to question whether their child is safe at school, no child should suffer in silence because they can't speak," Tiphanee said.
The boy's parents said they are demanding accountability from the district.
JCPS said it's investigating and the staff member has been reassigned.
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