Mother dismayed by teacher’s assistant’s alleged abuse of her 5-year-old son at Dania Beach school – WSVN 7News | Miami News, Weather, Sports

DANIA BEACH, FL. (WSVN) – Ahilyn Zamora’s five-year-old son Jaylin loved school, writing his name and engaging in activities like coloring in books. But that changed when he told his mother about an alarming situation at Collins Elementary School in Dania Beach.

“He enjoyed writing his name and just doing things in books and painting. Now he doesn’t even want to pick up a book,” Zamora said.

According to Jaylin, a teacher’s assistant physically punished him with a ruler, which had a profound effect on his attitude toward school.

“The moment he said the teacher was taking me to the cave and beating me, I pulled out my phone,” Zamora said.

Zamora said she recorded the following conversation with her son to gather more information:

Zamora: “Did she do it gently? Did she spank you gently?”

Jaylin: “No, hard.”

Zamora: “Were you crying?”

Jaylin: “Yes.”

Jaylin told 7News what he experienced, which was heartbreaking for his mother.

“A ruler with numbers on it, and my teacher intimidated me with it,” he said.

The disturbing revelation left Ahilyn Zamora deeply distressed, especially since this was not the first time she had faced such a problem at the same school.

“Another devastation. Unfortunately, this is not the first time I have had to deal with this at this school,” said Zamora.

In 2016, it was the school district that informed Ahilyn when it suspected her son Damian had been a victim of abuse.

“They told me his mouth was covered so he wouldn’t scream,” Zamora said.

While the teacher involved was removed from Damian’s case, Ahilyn Zamora was never informed of the outcome. In Jaylin’s case, the school district has now taken action.

In a statement to 7News, the school said, “At this time, a teacher’s assistant has been removed from the classroom and will be reassigned to a position remote from students and the school pending the outcome of the investigation.”

Zamora remains distraught over the incident and fears for her son’s safety.

“It puts a lump in my throat, I want to break down and cry… and I can’t because I have to be strong for her,” Zamora said. “We need to come together for these kids because this isn’t right. It’s not right, it’s not right.”

Some form of corporal punishment is legal in 19 school districts in the state of Florida, but Broward County is not one of them.

Copyright 2023 Sunbeam Television Corp. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.