Video alleges child was left crying outside of classroom in heat

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KGET) — As students made their way into the classroom at Prosperity Elementary, one mother alleges she saw one 4-year-old screaming and crying that he didn’t make it in.

“The screams will definitely play over and over again,” said witness Raven Pradt.

Pradt said she will never forget the screams she heard Wednesday morning near Prosperity Elementary, especially when she found out they were from a 4-year-old allegedly left outside of the classroom in around 90-degree weather.

“I really cannot listen to it that’s how heartbreaking it is to hear him screaming like that,” said Pradt. “In the video, you can hear me yelling is somebody going to open the door for him, because the teacher opened the door and then slammed the door back in his face.”

According to Greenfield Union School District, the school has “been in frequent communication and collaboration with the parent” to “meet this student’s educational need.” 17 News reached out to the family to confirm this. They said that the district’s statement is an effort by the district to “cover themselves,” and the family plans to report the incident.

“Was he maybe hitting the teacher? Throwing chairs? You still don’t lock a kid outside for that. Take him to the office,” said Pradt.

Former educator within the Greenfield Union School District Kei Ashby agrees.

“When you send your child to school the expectation is that your child is safe, if you are leaving a child unsupervised and in an extreme heat situation that child is not safe, there is a recording of the incident, that child is not safe,” said Ashby.

GUSD policy allows teachers to exercise an “amount of physical control reasonably necessary to maintain order,” but disciplinary measures explicitly stated in the policy include ” in-school suspension, placement in a restorative classroom, and suspension from school. ” There is no policy for teachers to place students outside.

“It really just broke my heart, it’s disheartening to know that you send your kid to school hoping that they’re safe and that they’re protected, and teachers are the bullies,” said Pradt.

However, a district spokesperson says this was an isolated incident.

Ashby said that doesn’t change the fact that what happened is neither policy nor protocol.

“If you’re not able to de-escalate the situation you pull someone else in that can help you whether that be an administrator, another teacher, some other adult. But what transpired is never what should transpire isolated event or not,” said Ashby.

The school district said it plans to continue to investigate the matter.

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