Aide abused 11-year-old disabled child, Floyd County mother says. Police investigating
Heather Burgess said her 11-year old son who has autism and does not speak came home from school Friday with bruises on his chest and arm.
The Floyd County mother called his teacher at Betsy Lane Elementary, who said school officials would investigate, Burgess told the Herald-Leader Tuesday night.
By Monday afternoon, Burgess said, school staff told her video from school cameras showed that a classroom aide “was being very aggressive with my child and another child and cussed my child as she shoved him down onto the bench.”
Burgess posted a photo on Facebook that she said was her son with bruises on his chest.
Jill Hamilton said in a Facebook post that her non-verbal seven-year-old son was the other child in the class who the aide handled aggressively.
“We watched the video of the incident yesterday,” Hamilton told the Herald-Leader. “An aide at the school walked my son back by his arms and flung him down on the bench then slung his arm down as hard as she could that she was holding him by.”
Late Tuesday afternoon, Floyd County Superintendent Tonya Horne Williams posted a news release on Facebook, saying an investigation has been launched by police.
“The administration at Betsy Layne Elementary has been made aware of an alleged incident involving a staff member. In response, the school district is working in full cooperation with the Kentucky State Police and the Department for Community Based Services (Protection and Permanency) to ensure a thorough and impartial investigation,” Williams said.
“Floyd County Schools remains firmly committed to addressing this matter with the utmost diligence and transparency.”
Williams said the district has “zero tolerance” for any actions that compromise the safety, dignity or well-being of students and staff.
“I hate that he went through what he did,” Burgess said of her son. ”And I hate to imagine what else goes on behind close doors.”
This story was originally published May 6, 2025 at 9:19 PM.