Broward Sheriffs Office

Parents Meet With Broward Officials After Claims That Teachers Abused Kids

Parents met with Broward school officials after they pulled their kids from a Pembroke Pines classroom amid accusations that teachers verbally and physically abused their children with special needs.

Ezra Adar, who has autism, was pulled from class at Pasadena Lakes Elementary School earlier this month after his parents heard his teachers yelling at kids through an app that's used to communicate with him.

"Why are you not doing your work?" teacher is heard yelling while a kid yells in the background. "Go to time out ... go to time out ... you don't want to do your work."

"You are gonna eat," a teacher is heard yelling in another recording while a child cries. "You better not touch me or scratch me, you understand? You are getting a diaper change."

One parent also had a photo of their daughter with a bruise on her arm and claim she got it while she was at school.

When school officials were notified of the alleged behavior, the teacher and her aide were pulled from the classroom. Officials promised the two would not step foot in another Broward classroom, but parents told Superintendent Robert Runcie, the principal and others from the school board on Monday that they are not 100% satisfied.

"I wanted him to know the traumatization that my daughter is now going through and all the other kids are going through and how this is going to affect our kids in the long run," said one parent, Gisela Lopez.

One parent, Jason Segelbaum, called for cameras inside the classroom for special needs students and is in the process of filing a lawsuit.

"This was a nightmare for us," he said. "It was a lot of talk about what should of happened and what didn't happen and that this sort of thing can never happen again."

BSO’s Child Protective Investigations Section and Pembroke Pines Police are investigating the case are investigating this case.

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