The mother of a 6-year-old boy who is autistic and nonverbal alleges that a teacher’s aide at his New Jersey elementary school put hot sauce in his mouth as a form of punishment.
After the district opened an investigation, Paterson Public Schools said the individual involved is “no longer employed.”
Quasheema Frye, 36, says she first learned of the allegation after seeing a Facebook post last month claiming a teacher had been giving hot sauce to pre-kindergarten and kindergarten students “as discipline for their behavior” at Dale Avenue Elementary School in Paterson, where Frye’s two sons—both on the autism spectrum—attend school.
The Dec. 22 post also alleged that the only child in the class who could speak was not given hot sauce.
The woman who shared the post, Kenya Hilton—a substitute in the district—said she did not personally witness the alleged conduct. Hilton said she was told about it by another substitute teacher who claimed they had seen it happen.
Hilton also said that the day after she published the post, on Dec. 23, she was contacted by an investigator from Paterson Public Schools.
Frye says she immediately feared her younger son, Lamond—who is nonverbal—could have been affected. She says Lamond is in a classroom with 10 students, all of whom have special needs.
She says she called the school on Dec. 23 and was told by a secretary that the allegations did not involve her son’s class and that the school was looking into the claims.
Two weeks later, Frye says she received a phone call from her sons’ principal indicating the investigation had determined the allegations were true. Frye and her friend, Ennis Goodman, 49—who was with her during the call—say Frye asked whether Lamond had been given hot sauce.
Goodman alleges the administrator responded: “Unfortunately, yes, but we took care of the situation. That person is no longer with us.”
Frye says she later scheduled a follow-up conversation with the principal in hopes of getting clarity. During that discussion, Frye alleges, the principal denied ever confirming that Lamond had been given hot sauce.
During a subsequent meeting with the superintendent earlier this week, Frye says she was told the person allegedly responsible was a teacher’s aide. She says she was also told the district could not share additional details, including the aide’s name, because of an ongoing investigation.
In a statement, a spokesperson for Paterson Public Schools said the district was aware of the allegation involving Dale Avenue Elementary School and “immediately initiated an investigation in accordance with established protocols.” The spokesperson added that the person involved is no longer employed by the district.
“We are committed to ensuring that every student feels safe, respected, and supported,” the statement said.
The district did not answer follow-up questions about Frye’s account but reiterated its earlier comments. It remains unclear how long the individual worked for the district.
Frye says she believes her son was harmed, pointing to what she describes as a noticeable change in his behavior that began in November and eased in recent weeks. She says that during November and December, Lamond would get off the school bus crying and screaming. When she asked the bus driver what was wrong, Frye says she was told: “I don’t know. He came out [of] the school like that.”
Frye and Salaam Ismial, a director of the National United Youth Council and a representative for Frye, say they are dissatisfied with the district’s response and what they describe as limited transparency. They say they still do not know how long the alleged behavior may have continued or how many children may have been affected.
“It does not bring me any comfort for the simple fact that, in order for you to have fired somebody, something has to have taken place,” Frye says.
Frye says she hopes speaking out will encourage other families to come forward. She and Ismial also say they want the aide to face criminal charges.
“There’s a lot of stuff that needs to happen and this story is long from over,” Ismial says, “because there’s a lot of policy changes that we’re going to be pushing.”
