MUSKEGON HEIGHTS, Mich. -- The mother of a 5-year-old boy said she's transferring her son to another school district after an incident involving a classmate and alleged inappropriate touching.
The mother, who didn’t want to be identified because of the nature of the allegations, said she received an unsettling phone call Monday morning from her son’s kindergarten teacher. The incident is said to have happened during movie time at Edgewood Elementary.
“When she turned the lights off, she noticed the boy’s hands inside of my son’s pants. She pulled my son aside and addressed it like, 'You don’t let no one touch you,’” the woman said.
That's a lesson she said she’s taught her own son, but she said it’s how the overall situation’s been handled by Edgewood Elementary staff she’s displeased with.
"The administrator [sic] assistant said to me, 'Well, it doesn’t sound as bad as it really sounds' and to make sure I bring him to school on count day,” she recalled.
“I leave my son in you guys’ hands to protect him, and I feel like they neglected to protect him with the first incident," the woman said.
She alleges the other boy previously touched another student inappropriately. In the incident involving her soon, she said she filed a police report with the Muskegon Heights Police Department and called Child Protective Services for the other kid.
“Our kids need to be put first, and I don’t feel like they’re putting the kids first," she said.
The mother said she'd like the school to help the other student so he doesn't repeat any bad behavior.
“Take some initiative. Even if they said, ‘Hey, we’re going to sit down with this child and see what’s going on at home.' You don’t have to tell me his name or his parent's name. I just want to make sure something is being taken care of so we won’t have another victim," the woman explained.
FOX 17 spoke with Renee Garcia, the superintendent of Muskegon Heights Public School Academy System. She said she was made aware of a police report that was filed. However, she said the first she heard of any inappropriate touching was through FOX 17. Garcia said she wasn't at liberty to relay the version of events she received.
The superintendent said an investigation and appropriate action is taken whenever the district here's of something like this. She added that the district will continue to investigate this incident.
