HUMBLE, Texas — A former special education teacher in Humble is facing charges for hurting a five-year-old boy who is non-verbal and has autism.
An Humble ISD school district representatives tell us the teacher -- Amber Reynolds -- is also being investigated for claims that she gave students melatonin sleep gummies.
Reynolds stood in front of a judge for a probable cause hearing on Jan. 4. For now, she’s only being charged for the injury she allegedly caused to a student.
According to court records, the incident happened in September, when Reynolds was employed at an Humble ISD elementary school. A principal at the school who was conducting a evaluation, says she saw Reynolds drag and pull a student by his arms.
The student’s mother later found bruises.
Two paraprofessionals who worked with Reynolds said the teacher previously told them they could take 5-year-old boy into the bathroom and beat him if he didn't do what he was told.
On Friday, KHOU 11 spoke to a parent who says her son experienced the same treatment that Reynolds is now facing charges for, but it happened in 2014.
"This opens so many old wounds ... Humble ISD knew what this teacher was capable of," parent Stacey Watson said.
Watson claims that her son was physically and verbally abused by Watson, when she worked at another Humble ISD elementary school.
"He would come home telling me she would throw him on the floor, throw him up against the wall, call him names or drag him across the room," she said.
In 2016, Watson pursued a federal lawsuit against Reynolds and Humble ISD - but it was dismissed.
“There weren’t enough teachers at the time who would come forward,” Watson said. “They weren’t willing to take an eight-year-olds special need child’s word over an adult who said she did no wrong.”
In a statement from Humble ISD, KHOU 11 is told Reynolds is no longer employed with the school district.
She is also under review by the Texas Education agency.
Reynold’s bond was set at $10,000 on Thursday but she has since bonded out of jail. She is expected back in court on Jan. 10.