Humble ISD student says he was put in closet by middle school teacher

HOUSTON, Texas (KTRK) -- A Humble family is searching for answers after their son was allegedly put in a school closet by a teacher at Woodcreek Middle School.

Cameron Patterson, 12, was put into a storage facility on March 29 for running in the hall.

His parents aren't happy and argue that's no way to discipline their child or anyone else's.

Cameron told his mother, Jonda Patterson, that he was sent to a closet to write a two-page note after being caught running down the hall.

That's not all.

The alleged conversation leading up to the incident escalated quickly, his parents said.

"One teacher, along with another teacher, called him back and said 'you could have assaulted me. You almost assaulted me, you need to apologize, because if I would have gotten hurt, my husband would have had to handle you and we would have taken your parents to court and you would have a charge,'" Jonda Patterson said.

Both parents told ABC13 that they feel that's no way to speak to a child and believe they should have been called before sending Cameron to a closet.

"If he was discipline problem, he should have obviously been sent to the principal's office. Why would you put him in a closet, isolate him, and then make him write an apology for something that didn't even happen?" Floyd Patterson said.

Humble ISD says that Cameron was sent to a science prep room, not a closet.

In a statement, officials said Cameron went in voluntarily.

"One teacher offered him the opportunity to write the letter during class. However, the classroom lights were off at the time because students were watching a film. To accommodate the student so that he could see to write, he chose to sit in a storage room attached to the classroom where the light was kept on and the door remained open," the statement read.

Cameron's parents say they aren't convinced. They plan to meet with officials next week to further discuss the incident.