DC teaching aide on leave after allegedly sticking finger with hot sauce into an autistic student’s mouth

Teacher's aide put hot sauce in autistic student's mouth: police

A mother told FOX 5 she is seeking justice for her son after a teaching aide allegedly stuck a finger with hot sauce in his mouth.

WASHINGTON - A J.C. Nalle Elementary teaching aide allegedly covered her finger with hot sauce, put it in a nonverbal autistic child’s mouth and reasoned to a witness that the student "deserved it," according to a police report.

What they're saying:

The child’s mother, Shanice Griggs, said the school’s principal notified her about the incident over the phone on the evening of Sept. 11, when the report was filed. 

Before receiving that call, Griggs sensed her son’s pain that day.

"My son is very active, he loves me, and he always gives me a kiss at the door when I come home from work," she explained. "He wasn't moving the same. He was just laying there on the bed."

Griggs, who works in a classroom with kids herself, told FOX 5 that she is seeking justice for her 9-year-old son, David. 

"I’m hurt, I’m angry, because that’s the place where I’m supposed to feel safe leaving my son, and I don’t have a choice but to leave him there," she said. 

What made her even more frustrated was that David’s teacher did not report the incident until hours after it happened.

"He said something at the end of the day to the principal, not right then and there," Griggs stated. "This happened around 12:30-one o' clock, I was told. I didn’t get notified until 4:45."

In a letter to parents and families, Principal Laena Lee said "I can confirm that the staff member is out of the building on leave and will not report while this matter is under review."

What's next:

The Metropolitan Police Department said that, as of now, with the case still under investigation, the aide has not been charged.