‘He should have left in handcuffs;’ Family of child hit by DPS employee questions investigation

DAYTON — The parents of a three-year-old boy seen on camera being hit by a staff member at a Dayton school has hired a lawyer to represent them as the school and police investigations move forward.

The incident took place in the hallway at Rosa Parks Early Childhood Learning Center last month on the second day of school.

>> Previous Coverage: ‘It just made me mad;’ Parents react after Dayton school staff member hit their nonverbal child

In the video, three-year-old Braylen can be seen running down the hallway, getting hit in the head, and then getting picked by his ankles, and walked down the hallway.

The family’s attorney, Michael Wright, held a press conference Wednesday morning where he claimed the school district was not open and transparent with his clients about the incident until they received the video on September 11.

“They lied to this family, they kept them in the dark, they were not being transparent and they have to be held accountable. And for the Dayton Police Department, why has there not been an arrest,” Wright said.

>> ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Dayton school staff member fired after hitting nonverbal student, causing him to fall

Wright is also pressing the Dayton Police Department, asking why no arrest has been made, adding that police received their copy of the video several days before the parents received theirs.

The child’s parents said they are frustrated and believe the aide should have left the school in handcuffs.

“They shouldn’t have sent him home pending an investigation, he should have left in handcuffs and that’s why a lot of other parents are mad because why hasn’t he been arrested? That is clearly an assault on that tape, he should have left in handcuffs, he should not be out in society around other people’s kids,” said Taneshia Lindsay, the child’s mother.

DPS Interim Superintendent Dr. David Lawrence issued the following statement Wednesday morning:

“In light of the recent incident at Rosa Parks Early Learning Center, the District is taking additional measures to ensure all 2,300 employees are properly trained and qualified for their positions in an effort to prevent such incidents from occurring in the future. Fitness for duty will be measured in terms of job qualification, training, and social-emotional health and well-being.

In addition, the Superintendent plans to meet with concerned parents at Rosa Parks Early Learning Center early next week to discuss the incident. The principal will share more details directly with families soon. As a reminder, the safety of all students is our utmost priority, and we would like to thank families for their support as we work to ensure a safe school environment for all learners.”

News Center 7′s Mike Campbell will have more on this story beginning on News Center 7 at 5 p.m.

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