New story of possible abuse at Royal Palm School comes to light

Reporter: Claire Galt
Published: Updated:

Not even a week after a teacher aide was arrested on suspicion of raping a twelve-year-old student, a new horrifying story is coming from Royal Palm School.

A local mother came forward to WINK News to share what she says a teacher did to her son at the school.

She told us that her son’s teacher put him in a trash can and left marks on his body. She is devastated for her son.

She said days turned into weeks into months, and Lee County Schools remained silent about what happened, so she decided to speak up.

She said her 11-year-old son came home from Royal Palm School in early November and accused his teacher of assaulting him.

“My worst nightmare,” the mother said. “I am so angry, and you feel like your hands are tied, and you are not powerful to do anything about it.”

She said she tried to do something, anything, about it.

First, she took her son to the hospital. Then, she called the Fort Myers Police Department.

A police report from November 3 said when FMPD officers arrived at the hospital, the boy told them he and his teacher were arguing about an assignment.

That’s when the fifth grader said his teacher grabbed him by his ankles and put him in a trashcan, and that caused the bruise.

The mother sent us an email from Lee County Schools. It says the teacher was “removed pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Five months later, the teacher is back on the job back at Royal Palm. The school is for children with developmental challenges, and the boy in question does have emotional and behavioral issues, but the mom said no one from Lee County Schools ever called to tell her the results of any investigation or that the teacher is back at school.

“My son keeps saying ‘Mommy, I’m afraid. I don’t want to go to school. I don’t want to come across this man, and I don’t want to see his face.’ It’s hard for a mom to hear. Your child doesn’t want to go to school because he’s scared. He’s back. He’s back ready to abuse other kids, and no one knows,” the mother said.

They’ve not been protected by the people that are supposed to be protecting them, The mother said

A spokesman for Lee County Schools said he could not comment on the situation as it is a “personal matter.”

A Fort Myers Police spokeswoman said she’s looking into the investigation and will get back to us.

The mother said she wishes she could pull her kid out of Royal Palm, but she’s a single mom with few alternatives.

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