Mom Claims She Saw Teacher Abusing 5-Year-Old Autistic Son At Houston School

A woman in Houston has accused a teacher at an elementary school of abusing her autistic son.

Renee London arrived at Jefferson Elementary School to pick up her 5-year-old son, Jayden, when she witnessed the teacher abusing the boy, who is a special needs student and part of the Pals Program.

"Immediately when I was walking in, I heard my son crying. Just tears drenching down his face and him screaming," London told NBC-affiliated station KPRC-TV.

She said that her son was assaulted physically after he refused to wear his mask. The boy allegedly began running around screaming when a male teacher, in an attempt to restrain him, wrapped his hands around his neck and shook him before pushing him onto the ground. London said it appeared that the boy was finding it difficult to breathe.

"It was as if he was gasping for air, it was as if he was having trouble breathing," she said.

Meanwhile, Houston Independent School District said in a statement that the teacher has been removed from the campus pending an investigation.

"Allegations of improper handling of a student have been made against a staff member at Jefferson Elementary School. We took immediate action to remove the employee from the campus pending an administrative and police investigation into the allegations," the district said in a statement.

"Please know that HISD places great value on our students, and their safety and well-being are of the utmost importance," the district added.

Last week, a woman in North Carolina sued a school after a teacher allegedly put her autistic son in a trash can. The lawsuit claimed that the teacher, 51-year-old Robin Johnson, restrained the boy, 9-year-old Gage Andrews, on multiple occasions. She picked him up and put him in a trash can, and when the boy attempted to get out of the can, she allegedly pushed him back in, saying, "if he acted like trash, [she] would treat him like trash."