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A Florida mother is planning to sue her daughter's school district after the 7-year-old –– who has special needs –– reported being bullied by a teacher.
Witnesses confirmed that on September 29, 2021, an unidentified white teacher at the Airbase K-8 Center School in Homestead, pulled Amaria Clark off her school bus, dragging her down the steps, before falsely accused of stealing a cellphone in front of a crowd. The teacher grabbed Amaria so forcefully, it left marks on her arms, her mother, Adah Clark, told CBS 4 News.
"When my child gets off the bus, other children were all around me, telling me what happened. It didn't make sense, but by the time I got to Amaria, her arms told it all," Clark said.
Adah took her daughter to a nearby urgent care to be evaluated and made a report to the Miami-Dade Police Department.
"Once the doctor came back and wrapped her little wrist, I just broke," Adah said. "She went from doing cartwheels up and down to now having to rest her hand on a pillow because it hurts."
According to The Atlanta Blackstar, Adah has hired a lawyer and plans to sue the district and school officials, over the alleged incident and other reported abuse. The teacher, whose name was redacted from police reports, has worked for Miami-Dade County Public Schools for more than 45 years.
Attorneys representing the family say the incident was in retaliation after Amaria told school officials she was being mistreated in class.
Her mother says the teacher denied the second grader from going to the bathroom because the educator believed she was lying, despite the child's medical records indicating she's seen a urologist for years because of a bladder condition.
Right before the incident, the school removed Amaria from the teacher's classroom, which lawyers believe motivated the school bus incident.
"No child should have to go to school worried about what will happen to them in regard to teachers and administrators," Attorney Rawsi Williams said.
In response to the allegations, the school says the teacher "did nothing wrong."
"These are serious allegations that were thoroughly investigated as soon as they were first reported. The investigation was concluded with a finding of no probably cause," a statement from the school reads.
Attorneys are continuing to push for more investigation outside of the school's and Amaria's mother transferred her daughter to another school in the meantime.
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