By KYLE FISHER
WISH-TV | wishtv.com
A mother is claiming staff at Fishers Elementary School mistreated her first grader after she had an emotional outburst.
Shaneta Grave told I-Team 8 she got a call from the Hamilton Southeastern School District about her daughter’s emotional outburst. When she arrived at the school to pick her up, she found her being held in an isolation room.
That’s when she took out her phone and started recording.
In the video Grave gave to I-Team 8, it appears to show school staff trying to open the door to the isolation room, but they are unable to because her daughter’s fingers are under the door. When the door opens, it appears that her daughter is not wearing any shoes or socks.
Grave was not expecting to find her daughter in that state when she came to pick her up.
“They told me when I get there that she would be cleaning up the room that she destroyed,” Grave said. “When I actually got there, she wasn’t actually in the room where they said she was.”
Grave told I-Team 8 her daughter has emotional episodes that stem from a concussion she sustained several years ago in day care.
“Any little thing can actually trigger the episode,” Grave said.
According to Grave, this episode started when her daughter was slapped by another student on the playground. She said she previously warned staff at Fishers Elementary School about her daughter’s emotional issues when she enrolled her in school this year.
“I tell these schools that whenever she has the first episode, to please get me on the phone.” Grave said. “Don’t wait until the next one occurs because she can turn into a different kid.”
Since the incident, Grave has unenrolled her daughter from Fishers Elementary School. Grave tried to enroll her at other elementary schools in the district, but she doesn’t live in the right zoning area to do that.
When I-Team 8’s Kody Fisher asked the Hamilton Southeastern School District about this incident, they said their staff is trained to handle situations like this using several different de-escalation techniques.
In a statement sent to I-Team 8, a spokesperson for the Hamilton Southeastern School District said, “Staff took appropriate measures to de-escalate the student before resorting to seclusion. The use of the seclusion room, as outlined in policies and procedures established by state and federal education agencies, is to be used when an individual’s behavior poses serious harm to self or others. The student’s parents were promptly informed of the incident, and we will continue to actively work to address any concerns. We are committed to continuously evaluating our practices and exploring strategies to ensure a safe and inclusive learning environment for all students.”
“I just want them to treat her equally out here and actually follow the proper protocols to showing her some love and care,” Grave said.
The Hamilton Southeastern School District did not mention specific details about what lead up to Grave’s daughter being placed in the seclusion room. Grave said she gave the district permission to release the incident report to I-Team 8, and I-Team 8 submitted a records request to get that report.