Louisville Mom Puts Camera In Son's Hair, Captures Alleged Abuse
‘Unacceptable!’ — Louisville Mom Catches School Staff Discussing Weed & Edibles, And Allegedly Abusing Autistic Son After Hiding Camera In His Hair - Page 3
Tiphanee Lee, a mother from Louisville, is demanding answers after alleging her 7-year-old non-verbal autistic son, Semaj, was abused by a staff member at Field Elementary.
Source: Photo courtesy of Wave News / Tiphanee Lee.
Tiphanee Lee, a mother from Louisville, Kentucky, is demanding answers after alleging her 7-year-old non-verbal autistic son, Semaj, was abused by a staff member at his school, Field Elementary, according to reports from WDRB, WLKY, and Wave 3 News. Concerned by repeated complaints from the school about her son’s behavior, Lee said she began to question whether the reports reflected what was truly happening in the classroom. She ordered a hidden camera to place on her son, desperate to find out what was going on.
According to Lee, the behavior described by school staff was drastically different from the child she knew at home. Semaj, who is autistic and non-verbal, had never displayed the extreme behaviors school officials claimed he was exhibiting.
“This all started because over the course of months, I was flooded with calls and complaints about my child’s behavior — behavior that was not typical, not normal, and not something that, as his parents, we had ever seen in our sweet child,” Lee said during a May 15 press conference. “As his mother, I knew in my heart something was not right.”
Determined to uncover the truth, Lee secretly placed a small recording device inside her son’s ponytail before sending him to school. What she says the footage captured left her devastated. Recordings obtained by Louisville news outlets WDRB, WLKY, and Wave 3 News reportedly show Semaj sitting quietly until an individual, identified as his primary teacher, according to Wave 3 News, exits the classroom. Soon afterward, another staff member, identified by the outlet as an assistant, can allegedly be heard speaking aggressively to the child, saying phrases such as “get off me, boy,” “get over here!” and “go away,” while the camera footage shakes erratically.
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As the interaction escalates, Semaj reportedly begins stimming by clapping and eventually screaming, behaviors Lee said typically indicate her son is overwhelmed or distressed. At one point, the assistant allegedly tells the child, “I’m not playing with you no more,” before later shouting, “get out of here,” which caused the 7-year-old to burst out yelling and crying, according to footage obtained by WDRB.
Lee now believes her son was assaulted while at school. Jefferson County Public Schools confirmed an investigation is underway, with both district police and Child Protective Services involved. Reports also state the staff member heard in the recording has been barred from returning to Field Elementary during the investigation.
“We trusted his school to protect him, to care for him, and to treat him with dignity. Instead, he was harmed, silenced, and failed by the very people who was supposed to keep him safe,” Lee said during Friday’s press conference. “What I discovered on the camera footage is something no parents should ever have to ever see or hear.”
Tiphanee Lee also alleged the recordings captured staff members discussing marijuana use and edibles while inside the classroom.
During her public remarks, she called for full transparency, accountability, and the termination of any staff members involved. She also demanded for a thorough investigation into the incident and how her son’s concerns were allegedly overlooked.
“Our child was put in a situation where he was scared, overwhelmed, and powerless. And while this was happening, there was adults in the room who did nothing to stop it,” Lee said. “This is unacceptable.”
