The fallout at a Fort Bend elementary school has rattled families of some of the district's most vulnerable students. The Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office and Fort Bend Independent School District confirmed Monday that multiple staff members at Walter Moses Burton Elementary in Fresno are no longer employed after investigators found "valid allegations" of child abuse and injury. Families of students with special needs told reporters they were shown footage they say documents mistreatment and are pressing district leaders for answers.
In a statement, investigators said they "have confirmed valid allegations of abuse/injury" involving an FBISD teacher and teacher assistants and that the district had "relieved" the staff while detectives review which students were under their supervision. According to FOX 26 Houston, the sheriff's office said its investigators are actively working the case to determine whether there may be additional victims.
Parents say special-needs students were harmed
Families of nonverbal and special-needs students told local outlets they believed their children were hurt and were shown video the district provided. As reported by ABC13, one mother, Maribel Vera, said, "If you guys would see the footage, not even an animal gets treated that way," and other parents described similar changes in behavior and unexplained injuries.
Investigators review students, no charges yet
Officials say Child Protective Services is also involved and that no criminal charges have been filed at this time. Fort Bend ISD told local reporters that multiple teachers and teacher assistants have been relieved of their employment while law enforcement and CPS continue their reviews, per FOX 26 Houston. Investigators say they are reviewing video and student records to determine whether more children were affected, a process that leaves parents waiting for answers.
How investigations work and what families can do
According to state rules, the Department of Family and Protective Services can assign reports a range of responses, from screening out lower-priority matters to launching a thorough investigation that includes interviews with alleged victims, witnesses and staff. For parents with information, the Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office lists 281-341-4686 as the number to report information on an active investigation. For more on investigative standards see the Texas Administrative Code and the sheriff's office guidance cited below: Texas Administrative Code and Fort Bend County Sheriff's Office.
