A Northside ISD teacher is under investigation after the parents of a 13-year-old nonverbal autistic student say video footage showed the teacher screaming at and mocking their son. Daisy and Jonathan Pena say they first noticed their son, Donovan, had started self-harming in March, and by April they had pulled him out of the school entirely after he came home bruised and, in their words, unrecognizable.
According to Fox San Antonio, district officials sat down with Donovan's parents on Monday and showed them videos of four separate incidents involving their son and the teacher. The parents say the footage included a moment when the teacher could be heard yelling, “I want to scream to. This is ridiculous,” while Donovan screamed. They also told the station they watched footage of the teacher observing Donovan self-harm without stepping in to stop him.
Donovan is nonverbal, and his parents say he communicates that he needs help by screaming or tugging on a caregiver's arm. They say the videos showed him screaming. Daisy and Jonathan Pena said their son was being bullied by his teacher and that they want accountability, according to the same report.
What the District Has and Has Not Confirmed
Northside ISD has reported the incident to both the San Antonio Police Department and Child Protective Services, per the station's account. The district also confirmed to the outlet that the teacher remains employed within Northside ISD even as the matter is investigated.
Donovan's parents were not given a copy of the video itself, though they were able to record audio during the meeting where it was shown to them, the report notes.
A Second Northside ISD Case Involving a Nonverbal Student
This is not the district's first scrutinized case involving a nonverbal autistic student. In 2024, a Northside ISD instructional assistant named Jacob Hallam was arrested after being accused of assaulting a nonverbal autistic student at Connally Middle School, according to KSAT. An arrest-warrant affidavit in that case alleged Hallam slapped the student, grabbed her face, forced her to swallow food, and punched her in the face and stomach, leading to a third-degree felony charge of injury to child - disabled individual.
Hallam had resigned from the district on March 6, 2024, amid investigations by district police, employee relations, Child Protective Services and campus administration, KSAT reported at the time. His arrest came roughly two months later, following further investigation by the Northside ISD Police Department.
Where Families Can Turn With Abuse Concerns
Families navigating these situations sometimes assume the Texas Education Agency's special-education complaints process can investigate abuse allegations directly. The agency's own guidance says otherwise: it states that the complaints process may not be used to investigate allegations of abuse or neglect, and instead directs such reports to the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services at (800) 252-5400.
For now, the facts of Donovan's case remain as his parents and the district have described them to local media — four videotaped incidents reviewed by school officials, two outside agencies notified, and a teacher who, as of the district's latest confirmation, is still on the job.
