A 37-year-old male instructional assistant at Pat Neff Middle School is under criminal investigation after a 13-year-old student reported being assaulted in class on May 7. The student's mother says the staffer grabbed the back of her daughter's chair, yanked it out from underneath her and left the child with a bruised foot and significant emotional distress. Northside Independent School District officials and San Antonio police say the incident is under review, and the staffer has not been charged.
The student's mother told MySA that the aide "got in my daughter's face, screamed at her and spat on her while yelling" before hooking his hand into the back of her chair and violently shaking it. She said the school’s internal review confirmed the physical incident and that her daughter was later interviewed by police without a parent being notified, an experience the mother called "interrogation-style." She added that referrals that once went to support services are now being routed to administrators and that some in-school suspensions are being shifted to out-of-school because the aide works in the ISS program.
What Investigators Are Looking At
Northside and the San Antonio Police Department told reporters they are investigating the matter as possible injury to a child by reckless behavior, a felony under state law. Texas Penal Code §22.04 makes it an offense to intentionally, knowingly or recklessly cause bodily injury or place a child in imminent danger, and reckless conduct that injures a child can be prosecuted as a felony depending on the facts. Whether prosecutors file criminal charges will depend on what investigators collect and whether the evidence meets the legal thresholds for an indictment or complaint.
District Response And Parents' Concerns
District officials told MySA the incident was referred to Child Protective Services and the NISD human resources department, and that appropriate disciplinary action would be considered pending the outcome of the investigations. San Antonio police confirmed they collected a statement from the student that supported the mother's concerns but declined to release additional details. The mother said she remains frustrated that the aide appears to have faced no immediate removal from duties and that the school’s handling has left her daughter shaken.
Local Pattern And Oversight Questions
Cases involving staff conduct in San Antonio schools have drawn attention in recent years, including an NISD instructional assistant charged with felony child abuse after video surfaced showing alleged violence against a non-verbal autistic student, as reported in an instructional assistant charged in 2024 case. Those incidents have renewed scrutiny of classroom supports, discipline practices and how districts monitor staff who work in ISS and special-education settings. Parents and advocates say transparency and clearer oversight are needed while investigators and the district review this case.
SAPD and district officials did not provide a timetable for concluding their reviews, and the staffer remains uncharged as the investigative work continues. Hoodline will update this article if police or the district release new information or if criminal filings are made public.
