A Black Florida second-grader alleges that her teacher has bullied her. Her family plans to file a federal lawsuit against the school because the sweet child is developmentally-challenged.
According to the lawsuit filed by Rawsi Williams Law Group on behalf of William and Adah Clark, Amaria Clark, 7, was reportedly assaulted by a white teacher at the Airbase Elementary School in Homestead on September 29. Amaria and her older brother, whose identity was withheld because he’s a minor, claimed that the 64-year-old, 220-pound white woman forcefully seized the girl’s arm as she tried to board the school bus to go home. Upon grabbing her while she was on the second step of the bus, Amaria said the teacher admonished her for stealing a cellphone.
“She grabbed my arm on the bus, grabbed it very hard. I guess she was mad at me for stealing a phone, but it wasn’t true,” Amaria revealed.
Intent To Sue And Police Report
Adah, Amaria’s mother, said that the children who witnessed what happened to her daughter told her what transpired when she picked her up from the bus stop. The shocked mom also saw the bruises on her baby’s arm, and Amaria was in pain.
“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,” Adah said.
She took Amaria to the Nicklaus Children’s Hospital urgent care and reported the incident to Miami-Dade County Police Department. Upon their arrival to the urgent care, officers noticed the red marks on Amaria’s arms. They also photographed her injuries.
“Once the doctor came back and had to wrap her little wrist, I just broke. She went from doing cartwheels up and down to now having to rest her hand on a pillow because it hurt,” Adah expressed.
In October, she filed a report with the principal and assistant principal at Airbase K-8. Adah’s attorneys, the Rawsi Williams Law Group, have also served the Miami-Dade school board paperwork of their intent to sue. They have to wait for six months before moving forward in the circuit court.
The intent-to-sue letter also highlighted the violations of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the alleged assault and battery and her rights to equal treatment as a little girl with developmental issues.
The September 29 incident wasn’t the first time Adah filed a report against the teacher’s alleged abusive behavior toward Amaria. The woman reportedly called Amaria “impulsive” and said she acted “like an animal.”
The furious mother also explained that the teacher withheld bathroom privileges from Amaria. However, court documents disclosed that the little girl had been under the medical supervision of a urologist for four years.
“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.
The Miami-Dade School District released a statement saying, “These are serious allegations that were thoroughly investigated as soon as they were first reported. The investigation was concluded with a finding of no probable cause.”
Attorney Frank Allen maintained that the school district did not clear the teacher from wrongdoing.
“There was no clearing. Once we get a chance to depose officials at the school, the teacher and some of these students, then we’ll see if she’s cleared,” he said.
The accused teacher has been an educator for 45 years. Amaria had been transferred from her class because of the alleged bullying.
