A Kentucky woman is using her mother’s intuition to get to the bottom of what is happening to her son at his school after receiving calls from his principal about abusive behavior toward teachers.
Tiphanee Lee told WAVE she began to question the principal at Louisville’s Field Elementary School about whether what she was being told was entirely true.
Her 7-year-old son, Semaj, is autistic and non-verbal, but the behavior described by administrators did not match what Lee was seeing every day after school, according to WAVE.
In response, Semaj’s parents hid a camera in his hair on May 13 to document what was happening at school. Lee said she bought a small camera, clipped it to her son’s locs, and sent him to school.
“I ordered a camera to be my son’s eyes, his ears, his voice,” she said.
In the video reviewed by Atlanta Black Star, you can hear a teacher’s assistant say “get off me, boy” and “go away” as the tone becomes more erratic.
At one point, you hear Semaji clapping, then screaming, something his mom told WAVE he only does when he becomes agitated.
“Our child was put in a situation where he was scared, overwhelmed, and powerless. And while this was happening, there were adults in the room who did nothing to stop it,” Lee said during a news conference Friday. “This is unacceptable.”
There was also a conversation recorded between staff members talking about marijuana and edibles in front of Semaji.
“We trusted his school to protect him, to care for him, and to treat him with dignity. Instead, he was harmed, silenced, and failed by the very people who were supposed to keep him safe,” Lee said. “What I discovered on the camera footage is something no parents should ever have to ever see or hear.”
😡TOTALLY AGREE!!!😡 Louisville Parents Hide Camera📸 in Son's Hair to Capture Alleged ABUSE of their Autistic Child
— American Crime Stories (@AmericanCrime01) May 18, 2026
Secretly hid a recording device in her 7-year-old nonverbal autistic son's hair after school officials claimed he was acting aggressively. The hidden camera… pic.twitter.com/2pH0HJzGRN
Many people online were also stunned by the video’s language.
“Well said, true, and yes, cameras need to be installed in special needs schools and classrooms. No child with special needs should ever have to be treated like this! I hope this teacher is fired. The trauma this school has placed on this child and teacher,” Maria Crouch wrote on X.
WAVE reported that the staff member at the center of the allegations is currently not permitted inside the school. They have also been reassigned.
“The staff was reassigned??? That staff member needs to be in jail. Sue that school district into bankruptcy. What kind of school administration reassigns a child abuser?” added @cmkittycat.
“The parents aren’t aggressive enough. If that happens to my child, either the person needs to be in jail, or I would tell them I plan on killing him if he isn’t held accountable,” @francisguy444 added.
Jefferson County Public Schools said it is investigating the incident.
At the news conference on Friday, several city council members expressed concern that the policies and procedures intended to protect students like Lee’s son are not being followed or applied equally.
Lee said she is calling on lawmakers to require all ECE classrooms to have cameras.
Atlanta Black Star reached out to Lee to learn more, but has not heard back.
