School worker fired after boy with autism goes home with unexplained injuries: 'They dragged him'

FRESNO, Texas -- A Texas school fired an employee following an investigation, that one family says involves their 6-year-old nonverbal student with autism.

The child's family says they are outraged after discovering what they describe as mistreatment inside Burton Elementary School in Fresno, Texas.

The student's mother, Maribel Vera, said she began noticing unexplained injuries in mid-April.

"The whole week he was coming with unexplained injuries," Vera said.

According to the family, the child returned home with scratches, burns, and bruises. Vera said she questioned school staff and even kept her son home for a day. When he returned, she said the injuries continued.

According to the family, they sought medical attention and contacted a case worker.

"We needed to rule out abuse, so that's why we started with the case and everything," said Daisy Vera, the child's aunt.

The situation escalated on Monday when the family said the Fort Bend ISD showed them classroom surveillance video.

"If you guys would see the footage, not even an animal gets treated that way," Maribel Vera said.

Family members allege the video shows a staff member handling the child roughly and making inappropriate comments.

"They dragged him across the classroom ... laughing," Vera said.

"They were making fun of his body ... fat-shaming him," said the child's uncle, Samuel Marquez.

Fort Bend ISD confirmed the employee involved is no longer employed by the district.

In a statement, the district said it "immediately initiated a review of relevant information" and reported the matter to Child Protective Services and local law enforcement.

The investigation is ongoing.

The family said they do not plan to send the child back to Burton Elementary School.

"We're all kind of lost because - where do we send him now?" Daisy Vera said.

District officials have not said whether additional employees could face disciplinary action. It was unclear if criminal charges will follow.