CLARKSVILLE, TN (CLARKSVILLE NOW) – DCS has completed a second investigation into an accusation that a Minglewood Elementary School teacher screamed at a 4-year-old special needs student, pulling his hair and pushing him, and as a result has “substantiated” the claim of child abuse.
The Clarksville-Montgomery County School System received a notification from the state Department of Children Services on Wednesday that Stacey Williams will be “substantiated by DCS” following the agency’s most recent investigation into the Sept. 21, 2023 incident, according to CMCSS spokesman Anthony Johnson. In response, CMCSS has placed her on “alternative worksite” status.
The DCS website states, “Once an investigation has concluded and the department has determined that, based on the evidence obtained during the investigation, you were identified, also known as ‘substantiated’ as a perpetrator of child abuse or child neglect, you will receive a notification letter.”
Lunchtime screaming incident
That day, Sept. 21, the 4-year-old boy was having a “screaming fit” during lunch, according to disciplinary records obtained by Clarksville Now. Another teacher had tried to stop him, but the screaming continued. Clarksville Now is not naming the child to protect his future privacy.
His mother, Jacaira Crockett, said her child is nonverbal – he has autism and an expressive language disorder. He’s enrolled in the Pre-K program at Minglewood. He understands what people are saying but uses sign language or a speech device to speak.
According to witnesses of the incident and Crockett’s account of surveillance video, Williams, who was not the child’s teacher, walked over to him, leaned down, screamed in his face and said, “Not today boy – I’m not the one.” She then put her hand on the child’s mouth. The child responded by pulling Williams’ hair, and Williams then pulled his hair. According to a letter from the Minglewood principal, the child then hit Williams, and Williams pushed the child back. The child then hit Williams again, and she grabbed the child’s wrist and yanked it.
In a letter Williams provided to CMCSS, she denied pulling the child’s hair or pushing him. “I did not injure, hit, strike or hurt (him) at all,” Williams said.
When the incident was first reported, Williams was assigned to remote work pending an investigation, according to CMCSS. Law enforcement and DCS investigated. On Oct. 4, when the initial investigation was complete, Williams was reprimanded, suspended without pay for three days, and required to complete a training webinar. CMCSS received notifications at that time that no criminal charges were filed and the DCS case was closed without substantiation. No state licensing actions have been taken.
Crockett met with State Rep. Ronnie Glynn, who helped put her in touch with the right people in DCS. As a result, the DCS investigation was reopened, and additional interviews were conducted. That investigation concluded this week.
Williams is now on alternative worksite placement until further notice. Clarksville Now has reached out to Williams through her attorney for comment.
‘Happy tears’
When contacted by Clarksville Now, Crockett had not yet heard the news. She was overcome with emotion and tears, saying, “I knew I wasn’t going crazy!”
“It’s happy tears,” she said. “I’m so happy.”
Crockett said she’s been frustrated by the response from CMCSS, stating that every question she asked has come back with, “I can’t, my hands are tied. I can’t do this; I can’t do that.”
The School Board meeting she went to on Tuesday, March 12, was the first time she had seen the director of schools after sending her several emails with no response, she said. She and two others held up protest signs the entire meeting.
Crockett said she will be speaking at the School Board formal session on March 26 on behalf of her son. “I just really need to get the message out there. It’s not just happening to me It’s happening to many families. Things are being pushed under the rug.”
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