A Memphis, Tennessee, woman said she was “livid” when she learned her non-verbal autistic daughter was allegedly verbally abused at school after she placed a recorder in her child’s backpack, according to a local report.
Naomi Miller’s daughter Karmony, a special-needs student at Bruce Elementary, has not attended school since early September, WREG reported. Her absence comes after her mother believed her 5-year-old was having a bad experience there, so she put the recorder in her bag.
“She was screaming not to go to school and having a meltdown once she comes home. It’s like all I know is something is off, and the only thing that changed is you’re going to school,” Miller told the outlet.
When she played the tapes back, she heard teachers allegedly badmouthing and complaining about her daughter.
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In one part of the audio, per the news station, two women were heard saying: “I was having a good day until she came,” as well as other expletives, seemingly referring to Karmony. The people on the recordings reportedly talked about other students as well.
“The teachers calling my baby the b-word and even more disturbing, ‘Y’all come and tranquilize her. She need to be in a special home,’ like are you serious? All because she was crying,” Miller said to the news station.
According to the outlet, Miller contacted the Memphis-Shelby County School District to voice her concerns and give them the recordings. However, she claims she didn’t see much results and wants the people involved to be held accountable so her child can go back to school.
“They should never be able to teach kids ever again. All three of them need to be gone, and the principal needs to be held accountable,” Miller said.
In a statement sent to WREG, the school district said it launched an investigation, and the employee was “removed from the classroom.”
Miller’s experience has some similarities to a California mother whose Black 5-year-old son with disabilities started acting differently at home after she claimed he was neglected by his teachers in 2018, according to the ACLU. The mother said that when she contacted the school district, her concerns were swept under the rug.
