LANSING, Mich. — In this situation, Chauncey McDaniel said disappointment is an understatement. The father says his 8-year-old daughter, Heaven, was hit by a Lansing School District’s Teacher’s Assistant.
“I picked her up 10 minutes before school, like I usually do. I walked around the car and looked at her and seen her eye was puffy. I asked her what happened and she said the male TA hit her,” McDaniel said. “ I asked her why and she said because she wouldn’t give him her crackers."
We chose not to share the TA’s name in the story, but the alleged incident happened at the Beekman Center, a school the district uses to accommodate special needs students. Heaven transferred there last year.
After the alleged assault McDaniel said he confronted district administrators and he said their response was that Heaven was the aggressor.
“There’s no justification for an 8-year-old to have a black eye,” McDaniel said.
We reached out the district who provided us with this statement saying "The Lansing School District is unable to comment on any specific student or staff incident. Because of privacy laws as well as our care and concern of both our staff and students, the district will not discuss individual matters pertaining to our children or employees.”
As for Heaven, Chauncey says he’s not sure if he’ll send her back to Beekman.
“I don’t think I am,”McDaniel said. “I don’t think I am.”
We did ask the district if that TA is still with the school, but they did not answer that question.
McDaniel has filed a police report and said he’s planning to serve an intent to sue to the district this week.
