Cell phone video of the incident shows a Weatherford ISD educator using their legs to restrain a child on the playground.
WEATHERFORD, Texas — A North Texas family says their 8-year-old autistic son was improperly restrained at his elementary school last year, an incident they didn’t learn about until four months later.
Roman Ashcraft, who has autism and a rare condition called KDM5C, that affect his learning, was a student at Juan Seguin Elementary in Weatherford when the incident occurred. He is non-verbal and unable to communicate. Video shows an educator standing over the boy while he’s on the ground, holding him between her legs.
“Anger, frustration and betrayal,” said Lisa Ashcraft, Roman’s mother, describing how she felt after seeing the video.
A restraint form indicates the situation lasted 10 minutes. The educator wrote that the reason for the restraint was that Roman was at risk of harming himself.
“He’s rolling around, he’s pushing on her leg trying to get her off of him,” said Michael Ashcraft, Roman’s father.
Ashcraft said the school never called them about the incident. The family discovered what happened four months later.
“They knew it was wrong at the end of the day because you don’t hide things you know are right,” Lisa Ashcraft said.
A Weatherford ISD spokesperson said the educator in question is no longer with the district and sent this statement:
“Weatherford ISD’s top priority is always the safety and well-being of our students. We are aware of the situation referenced in Ms. Ashcraft’s post, which occurred last school year. While we cannot share specific information due to student and personnel privacy laws, we can confirm that the employee involved is no longer with the district. Steps have been taken at both the campus and district levels to ensure a positive and supportive environment for every student.
Above all, we remain focused on supporting our students and maintaining the continued trust of our families and community.”
The Ashcraft’s filed a complaint with the Texas Education Agency. They also provided WFAA with a copy of the investigation report, which found that the district did not follow expectations.
The family removed Roman from the school and now says their son is thriving at his new school.
“He went from making two-word sentences to full-blown sentences,” she said.
Lisa Ashcraft said she worries about other students who can’t speak up for themselves.
“If you’re not built for the job, just find a different one,” she said.