AISD teacher on leave as child injury case reopened
*UPDATE 4/25* FOX 7 has confirmed that there will be a parent meeting to discuss this incident at Boone Elementary on Thursday, April 27 at 6 p.m.
An Austin ISD teacher is back on leave after an investigation was reopened into the injury of a four-year-old student. The incident allegedly happened two-months ago at Boone Elementary School in south Austin.
When the school bell rang Monday morning at Boone Elementary, among the children to attend was a four-year-old who had been absent for a little more than two months. The decision to let her daughter return was tough according to the child’s mother, who asked not to be identified, but agreed to speak to FOX 7 along with her attorney.
"I'm extremely frustrated, heartbroken, I just want answer and I feel for my daughter, and she doesn’t have a voice and I feel like I need to be the voice for her,” said the mother.
The mother says it all began February 7th after she picked up her daughter from the school's pre-K program.
"I kind of immediately knew as she was approaching the door, upon signing her out, she is usually, mommy, but on this day she was, hey mommy, and that’s not like her."
When they got home an injury was found on the child. The discovery prompted a trip to Dell Children's Medical Center. After an examination, followed by surgery, doctors diagnosed the injury as a sexual assault, according to report provided to FOX 7.
"My worst fears came to light, I mean, I guess, like reality was, just kind of slapped me in my face,” said the mother.
Later when the child was interviewed she didn't make an outcry and AISD police closed the case.
"No explanation was ever given to these parents about what happened that day,” said attorney Paul Guinn.
Reportedly the lead investigator claims he never got the girl's medical report. But the child's mother claims he became aware of the diagnosis when she did, at the hospital.
"Yes he was standing right behind us, almost more eager than we were,” said the mother.
The cased was reopened after Guinn took the medical records to Travis County prosecutors.
" I think the problem here is that this is a case, where the parents had to escalate this, the parents had to fight for answers, still haven't been given any, but the parents are doing the work of the investigators,” said Guinn.
Several letters to parents about the case have been sent out by the principal of Boone Elementary. The last notification was that the teacher of the four-year-old is on administrative leave because of the open investigation.
A rape kit sample was taken but the current backlog on lab work is delaying a final report. AISD Police Chief Eric Mendez was not available for comment