A mother said, "He is a steady substitute teacher here."
The substitute teacher she's talking about is accused of engaging in inappropriate conduct with at least one De Zavala Elementary School student. This woman says the eight-year-old is her daughter.
"She stated that the teacher started by rubbing her back, working himself down towards her bottom," the mother told Eyewitness News.
She says it happened twice in the same day when her daughter, a second grader, asked the teacher to help her with a math problem.
While the alleged incident happened in the beginning of the month, the two students who claimed to have witnessed the inappropriate touching didn't report it to school officials until Tuesday. The girl's mother had a hunch something was wrong.
She said, "From the beginning of the month until now she was hesitating to come to school, saying she was sick all the time, tired. She did miss a few days last week."
She says her daughter was afraid to speak up. HISD police are investigating. Houston police have also been notified.
Another parent, Mary Vanda, said, "I have children here, girls, and it really concerns me."
School was the last place concerned parents expected to hear about something like this. The girl's mother feels betrayed and plans to get her daughter counseling.
The girl's mother said, "I want to see him get prosecuted. I'm told it's happened to several other kids and I'm sure their parents are worried as well."
HISD released the following statement on behalf of the school principal:
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"As soon the allegations of inappropriate conduct were brought to my attention, the employee was removed from the school pending the outcome of the investigation."
Yolanda Rodriguez, Principal, De Zavala Elementary School
