John Jefferson
Main, left to right: Rodney Rothoff, Chris Mason, and Queen Miller. Inset: The injuries Miller allegedly suffered after the attack by his teacher (WCNC).
A special-needs student in North Carolina is claiming that one of his teachers physically abused him, sitting on the student and choking him in an attack that left the alleged victim bruised and bleeding around his neck and on his face. The teacher later told the boy’s mother that he had a “tussle” with her son, the family said in a recent interview.
Student Chris Mason and his parents, Rodney Rothoff and Queen Miller, spoke with Charlotte NBC affiliate WCNC about the incident they say took place last month at Jay M. Robinson High School in Cabarrus County, about 20 miles northeast of Charlotte.
The station reported that Mason has been diagnosed with autism and cerebral palsy as well as an intellectual developmental disability. Due to his numerous medical conditions, when there is a behavioral problem at school involving Mason, there are special protocols teachers and other school employees are supposed to follow, his father said.
“They are supposed to take him on walks, calm him down, use techniques,” Rothoff said.
The protocol is part of an “IEP,” an “individualized education program” that is designed to help with assisting in Mason’s development.
But Mason’s parents said that is not at all what happened in late October with a male teacher whose name was not included in the report and is not facing any charges.
“When I first seen him, he was shaking all over and I thought he was having a seizure because that’s how bad he was shaking,” Miller told the station. But what she discovered next was even more disturbing.
“My child had at least 15 different bruises on his body,” she exclaimed.
Miller immediately called the teacher, who allegedly told her, “Oh, we had a tussle today.”
Mason was reportedly trying to leave the classroom when the interaction with the teacher escalated into a physical altercation.
“He grabbed me by my neck when I got to the door,” Mason said, adding, “He choked me and he sat on me.”
The parents removed Mason from the school the day after the incident, but claim that the staff and supervisors were far from helpful in dealing with the situation. They told WCNC that the district did not file an incident report and refused to meet with them.
But Rothhoff said that he and his wife decided to file a police report on the following Wednesday. They said the school principal reached out to them that Thursday and told them he could meet with them early Friday morning. Also on Friday morning, the parents said they learned that the teacher accused of abusing their son was no longer employed by the Cabarrus County School District.
When WCNC reached out for additional details and to confirm that the teacher was no longer at the district, they received the following statement:
“The safety and security of all students is of the utmost importance to the district. Cabarrus County Schools was made aware of the allegations and conducted a thorough investigation. The teacher in question is no longer employed by the district. Cabarrus County Schools does not comment on specific personnel matters.”
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