District to meet with families at school where nonverbal child was hit by employee

DAYTON — Dayton Public Schools says they are going to have a meeting with parents at one of their schools following an incident involving a student and staff member.

District leaders are planning to meet with families from Rosa Parks Early Learning Center early next week to discuss the incident that happened on Aug. 21.

>> ORIGINAL COVERAGE: Dayton school staff member fired after hitting nonverbal student, causing him to fall

An employee at the school was caught on video hitting a nonverbal student and causing him to fall to the ground, as previously reported by News Center 7.

News Center 7 previously reported that the employee had been fired, but Dr. David Lawrence, Interim Superintendent, clarified Friday that he “resigned in lieu of termination.” Prior to his resignation, he had been on administrative leave.

>> PREVIOUS COVERAGE: ‘He should have left in handcuffs;’ Family of child hit by DPS employee questions investigation

The incident is being investigated by the Department of Human Resources and the Department of Safety and Security. Additionally, it has been reported to the Ohio Department of Education.

“Again, the actions demonstrated in the video are contrary to all employee training, do not promote a culture conducive to learning, and are not tolerated in Dayton Public Schools. The safety of all students is the District’s utmost priority, and we would like to thank families for their support as we work to ensure a safe learning environment for all students,” Lawrence said.

© 2023 Cox Media Group