A mother in North Carolina was shocked to discover her child inside what she described as a “broom closet” when the child’s grandmother visited the school to deliver lunch.
Asha Crews shared with local media that her 6-year-old son, Sincere, was found in a broom closet at Mariam Boyd Elementary School in Warrenton, North Carolina, last Thursday.
Crews mentioned that her son, who has autism and is non-verbal, was placed in a “restraint chair” and confined in the closet, which lacked air conditioning and displayed signs of mold.
Expressing concern, Crews stated that she was unsure of how long her son had been in the closet but suspected it was for an extended period. She even claimed in a social media post that her son had been shut inside the closet with the door closed at one point.
Crews also added that the teacher informed her that her child was in “time out” because “he was hollering at lunchtime… and he was hungry.”
While Warren County Schools did not admit to any misconduct, they acknowledged receiving reports of the incident. They clarified that the teacher involved was a contractor and not a direct employee of the school district, and has since been removed from the classroom.
“The District received a report of alleged misconduct by a classroom teacher toward a student. The classroom teacher was a contractor and not an employee of Warren County Schools. That teacher has been removed from the classroom. We also reported the allegations to the proper authorities.”
Crews mentioned that her mother took a photo of her son in the closet while in the restraining chair and requested staff not to move him until she could capture the image.
The outcome for the teacher involved in this incident remains uncertain in terms of charges or disciplinary actions. Crews shared in a Facebook video, which has since been removed, that her son is not currently attending any school following the incident.
