Assistant teacher fired from Coast elementary school after altercation with student

A Mississippi Coast mother has pulled her son from Woolmarket Elementary after being left with more questions than answers when her some came home from school with bruises covering his body.

Jessie Malone found marks on her 9-year-old son’s arms and chest after bringing him home from school on April 8, she told the Sun Herald.

Her child has Down syndrome and was unable to fully articulate what happened. All he could do was point to his sides and arm and say, “Ms. Sarah hurt,” Malone said.

When Malone discovered the bruises, she texted her son’s teacher and asked what happened and was told there was “confusion” between her son and a teacher’s assistant, Sarah Milar.

Malone told the Sun Herald she then promptly took her son to the principal’s office and demanded an explanation.

The school’s principal said he would review the camera footage. She went to the district superintendent, Mitchell King, and received a similar response.

When she asked to see the footage, she said she was told she could not view the surveillance video due to employee privacy.

“I still don’t know how she ended up putting marks on him. I only know the outcome that my son had marks on him,” Malone said.

The Harrison County School District confirmed the incident to the Sun Herald and issued a statement.

“The complaint made by the parent of a student at Woolmarket Elementary has been handled according to the disciplinary policy of the Harrison County School District.”

King confirmed on Monday afternoon that Milar was terminated from employment with the district.

Pulling son with down syndrome from Coast school

The experience has left Malone and her son shaken.

“I send my child to school to learn, and I trust these people not to hurt my child,” Malone said. “We worry about our disabled children so much; we shouldn’t have to worry about them in school.”

Malone has pulled her son from Woolmarket Elementary and is still evaluating next steps. She wants to put him in another school district, but she can’t afford to move.

She said the experience with the teacher’s assistant has left her son traumatized. He’s having nightmares, wakes up screaming, and is now urinating on himself.

“Bruises heal, but the emotional side he is dealing with is not pretty,” she said. “His entire personality has changed.”

Editor’s note: The Sun Herald has reviewed images of the child’s bruising provided by Malone. They were not published to protect the privacy of the child.

This story was originally published May 9, 2022 at 1:10 PM.