Authorities say a Cy-Fair ISD behavioral specialist has been arrested after a 16-year-old student with autism suffered a medical emergency at the district’s Carlton Center last Thursday and died on Wednesday. Court filings allege the staff member shoved the non-verbal student into a classroom, and investigators say surveillance video undercuts his account of what happened.
What the records say
Court documents obtained by ABC13 state that Donald Cameron Perkins is charged with injury to a disabled individual, a third-degree felony. The records say Perkins was called to a school bus after the student took a piece of food and put it in his mouth, and that the incident at the Carlton Center unfolded as staff escorted the teen back to class. The same documents note that Perkins was taken into custody Wednesday and booked into the Harris County Jail.
Video and staff accounts differ
According to court filings reviewed by Click2Houston, surveillance video shows Perkins walking with the student held in his grasp and increasing the force of his handling as they neared the classroom. The footage reportedly captures Perkins shoving the teen from behind, sending the child briefly off the ground before he landed on the tile floor. Investigators say that recording contradicts Perkins’s claim that the student fell outside an exterior door.
Medical response and outcome
Staff members in the classroom told police the student began choking after returning to class and that they brought over a trash can before the teen went limp, according to court records. Perkins tried to perform the Heimlich maneuver but was not successful, and the student was transported first to Memorial Hermann-Cypress, then airlifted to Texas Children’s Hospital, where scans reportedly showed no brain activity. The officer handling the case learned from the child’s father that the student had died on Wednesday, ABC13 reported.
District reaction
In a statement to Click2Houston, Cy-Fair ISD said it has removed the employee from campus and placed the individual on administrative leave while cooperating with law enforcement. The district said that “student safety is our top priority” and that it will take any necessary actions once the investigation is complete. Superintendent Dr. Doug Killian added that his “most sincere prayers are with the family” and said the district is grieving alongside them.
Legal implications
The charge, injury to a disabled individual, falls under Texas Penal Code §22.04, which criminalizes harm to vulnerable people and is typically prosecuted as a felony. Under that statute, knowingly or intentionally causing bodily injury to a disabled person is generally classified as a third-degree felony, carrying a potential sentence of two to ten years in prison and a fine of up to $10,000, although certain workplace or facility circumstances can increase the penalties. Prosecutors are expected to weigh the surveillance footage, witness statements and medical records as they decide how to move forward, and the full statute text is available in state code references.
What happens next
Perkins remains in custody and the investigation is ongoing as authorities review the video evidence and medical documentation. Officials have not released the student’s name because of privacy laws, and the district says it cannot share more details while law enforcement continues its probe.
