C'Antae Fleming, a 9-year-old fourth grader at Robert Burns Elementary-Middle School on Detroit's west side, says a substitute teacher turned his own classmates against him, telling them to "handle" him during class. He walked away with a black eye, cuts on his face and a concussion. His mother, Jay'Shelle Warfield, says she did not hear a word from the school and only found out when her sons stepped off the bus and told her what happened. She says another parent backed up the children's account. C'Antae has not been back to school as Warfield searches for a new placement and lines up medical care for his injuries.
District places substitute on leave
Detroit Public Schools Community District said in a statement to WXYZ that the substitute teacher has been placed on administrative leave and is blocked from taking any new substitute assignments while the district investigates. The district said, "We take matters involving student safety extremely seriously," and added that any findings from the internal inquiry will be turned over to law enforcement.
Boy's account and family's response
C'Antae told reporters that the trouble started after he was warned to stay away from a computer. He says the substitute then told the kids to handle me, and that classmates began punching him, holding him down and choking him until his face turned red, according to WXYZ. Warfield says her son has a history of seizures, which made the blows to his head and face particularly frightening for the family.
District context: more security after violent incidents
This latest incident comes as DPSCD is in the middle of a security overhaul, adding tighter visitor screening and other measures after a series of violent episodes on campus, including a classroom stabbing, according to reporting by Chalkbeat. The outlet reported that the district has signed off on spending millions of dollars to bring in more security guards and pilot new screening programs in an effort to strengthen monitoring across its schools.
Investigation and possible legal steps
DPSCD says it plans a thorough investigation and will share any findings with law enforcement while the substitute remains off all district assignments. Whether that ultimately leads to criminal charges or disciplinary action from the district will depend on what investigators uncover and on any decision by prosecutors on potential charges.
Family response and next steps
Warfield says she is trying to move C'Antae into a different school and is weighing her next steps as he recovers from his injuries. Advocates say families are looking for faster and clearer communication from the district about how situations like this unfold. For now, the district investigation is still underway, and officials have not released the substitute's name or additional details about the classroom involved or the specific date of the incident.
