Anacelia Cuevas said school staff treated her 3-year-old nonverbal son “like an animal or a criminal” when they strapped him to a chair with nylon straps and duct tape.
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Several Boston Public Schools staffers are on leave after an incident at James F. Condon K-8 School.
The district is investigating their actions after a report claims they inappropriately restrained a young student.
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According to the family of this 3-year-old autistic student, the mother was contacted by the Department of Children and Families weeks after the incident at the school.
The child's aunt told NBC10 Boston on Sunday that her nephew, who is in pre-K, was restrained to a chair by a teacher for more than an hour during school three weeks ago.
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A Boston Public Schools spokesperson told NBC10 Boston the boy's hands were tied with nylon straps and duct-taped to a chair.
"I'm in shock. I still don't believe it - it's a nightmare," Anacelia Cuevas, the boy's mother, told NBC10 Boston.
The family said what was most alarming was that they were never informed by the school until DCF called them last week, after a different teacher filed a complaint.
"Never in a million years did I think it was to strap my child into a chair like he was an animal or a criminal," Cuevas said.
Cuevas said her son is a special needs, nonverbal pre-K student and identical twin. He and his brother have been attending the school since last November.
The superintendent later issued a letter to parents and a statement to the media, which read in part: "This incident is deeply concerning and goes against our values and policies as a school district…as soon as we were made aware of this incident, we took immediate action and placed staff members involved on leave."
"I just want to make sure that all of our young people and their caregivers and their loved ones know that school should be a place where they have every opportunity to blossom and no concerns at all about safety or anything like that," added Mayor Michelle Wu.
Boston Public Schools placed three staff members on leave, including a teacher. The district did not identify the individuals. The case remains under investigation.
Meanwhile, the family told NBC10 Boston they are sharing the story not only to seek justice, but to also prevent this from happening to other children in the future.
"I'm not only seeking justice for my own son, but also to ensure that other parents in our community are aware of what's happening in our schools," Cuevas wrote in a family-issued statement. "No parent should have to fear that their child could be subjected to such bad treatment in school."
Cuevas added that she intends to file a lawsuit against the school.
