A Louisville mother says she was forced to secretly place a camera in her seven-year-old autistic son’s hair after repeated calls from his school left her convinced something was seriously wrong.
Keep reading to learn more.
Tiphanee Lee said staff at Field Elementary School had repeatedly contacted her claiming her son, Semaj, was behaving aggressively and acting out in class. But according to Tiphanee, the behavior didn’t match the child she knew at home.
Believing there could be something happening inside the classroom, she decided to investigate herself by hiding a recording device in Semaj’s locks on May 13.
What she says the footage captured confirmed her worst fears.
“I told you my son is a good boy. I had to put a camera in his hair to see if he was a**sed in the classroom,” Tiphanee said.
According to Tiphanee, Semaj is nonverbal and usually calm, which made the school’s repeated complaints feel suspicious.
During a press conference on May 15, she said the footage showed treatment “no parent should ever have to see or hear.”
“Our child was put in a situation where he was scared, overwhelmed, and powerless. And while this was happening, there were adults in the room who did nothing to stop it,” Tiphanee said. “This is unacceptable.”
According to the mother, Semaj’s primary teacher had briefly stepped out of the classroom, leaving an assistant teacher in charge.
Tiphanee alleges that during that time, the assistant teacher became physically and verbally aggressive toward her son.
In footage reviewed by Louisville NBC affiliate WAVE News, the staff member could reportedly be heard saying things like “get off me, boy” and “go away.”
As the interaction escalated, Semaj allegedly began clapping and screaming — behaviors Tiphanee says only happen when he becomes highly distressed.
“We trusted his school to protect him, to care for him, to treat him with dignity. Instead, he was harmed, silenced, and failed,” she said during the press conference.
Tiphanee also claimed the recording captured conversations among staff members about marijuana and edibles while inside the classroom.
The allegations became even more serious after a confrontation video involving Tiphanee and school staff surfaced online.
In footage posted to civil rights attorney Lee Merritt’s Instagram page, Tiphanee can reportedly be seen confronting school employees over claims that an assistant teacher she identified as Robert Ransdell called Semaj the N-word.
She also alleged the recording captured the staff member pinching and strangling her son after the primary teacher left the room.
During the confrontation, Tiphanee repeatedly stated that police had been called and demanded accountability from those involved. As of now, authorities have not publicly released details about what happened after officers arrived at the school.
Tiphanee has since called for all staff involved to be fired and for a full investigation into the incident. She has also urged lawmakers to require cameras inside classrooms to help protect vulnerable students, especially children with disabilities who may struggle to communicate abuse.
According to WAVE News, the staff member accused in the incident has reportedly been reassigned and is currently not allowed inside the school building.
A special education teacher and multiple assistants were fired between April 29 and May 4, according to the school district.
The Fort Bend County Sheriff’s Office later stated, “Our investigators are actively working this case and are reviewing all students who were under the supervision of these staff members.”
One reported case involved a six-year-old nonverbal autistic child whose family allegedly discovered unexplained bruises and injuries after the student came home from school.
She later began questioning whether they may have actually been signs of abuse inside the classroom.
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