A San Antonio mother says staff at Kirby Middle School violently restrained her sixth-grade son, who has special needs, putting him in a chokehold that left the boy with a concussion and lingering symptoms. The boy’s mother, Destiny Giles, says he came home from school with headaches, extreme fatigue and slurred speech, and that she has been asking the district for video of what happened ever since.
Mother alleges forceful restraint
Speaking with KABB, Giles said a staff member grabbed her son Xavier by the back of his hoodie, yanked him backward, hit him in the chest three times and, in her words, “put him in the chokehold,” choking him from behind and slamming him to the ground. She told KABB that a second staffer then pushed Xavier onto his stomach and sat on his back, and that the principal later told employees they had used an improper restraint. Giles also said the district reached out after the incident and scheduled a meeting with her to review what happened.
District contact and what’s at stake
Judson ISD lists its safety protocols, reporting process and central-office contacts for parent concerns, and Giles says she has been repeatedly asking the Judson ISD Police Department to release any campus video of the restraint without success. Her family says it plans to push for access to the footage at the upcoming review meeting and is considering its options if the district refuses to provide the recordings.
State rules limit when restraints are allowed
Under rules from the Texas Education Agency, school staff are allowed to use physical restraint only in an emergency when a student’s behavior creates an immediate danger. Any force has to be limited to what is necessary, and it must stop as soon as the emergency ends. The Commissioner’s Rules also require written notice to parents within one school day, detailed documentation in the student’s special education file and training for employees who might need to restrain a student.
Advocates say mishandled restraints are a continuing concern
Advocates for students with disabilities say situations like this are not isolated, pointing out that children in special education are involved in restraint incidents at disproportionately high rates and that some districts do not fully report their use. A report from Disability Rights Texas details harmful restraint practices, and recent lawsuits in other districts, including a Garland ISD case covered by FOX 4 Dallas-Fort Worth, have kept the issue under scrutiny.
What parents can ask for
Under Texas Education Agency procedures, parents of students who receive special education services can request an ARD committee meeting to revisit behavior plans, and districts are required to place documentation of any restraint in the child’s special education folder. Families who believe the rules were not followed can file complaints with the state education agency or reach out to advocacy groups for help obtaining records and exploring possible legal remedies.
Giles says she plans to push for answers and accountability in the district meeting. Local reporting noted that news outlets contacted Judson ISD for comment and had not received a response at the time of publication. The family is expected to meet with district officials this week to review any available footage that Giles has requested and to decide what to do next.
