Mar 25, 2009 10:57 pm US/Central

Painful Lessons: Another Student Beaten At School

9-Year-Old Donald Shearrill Was Allegedly Hit With A Studded Belt

CHICAGO (CBS)

 

Donald Shearrill, 9, Was Allegedly Hit With A Studded

Belt At Kozminski elementary school in Chicago.

 

Another student has allegedly been beaten in a Chicago school. But despite promises to promptly investigate cases like this from Schools CEO Ron Huberman, the family says no one did anything about it - until CBS 2 got involved. 2 Investigator Dave Savini has been exposing abuse in schools for the last several months.

The victim in this case is a third grader. He says he was accused of "walking funny in school" so he was taken to a room and beaten with a studded belt. It allegedly happened earlier this month despite a so-called "crackdown" on illegal corporal punishment. It's another example of "Painful Lessons" in Chicago schools.

Nine-year-old Donald Shearrill says a security guard beat him with a metal studded belt inside Chicago's Kozminski elementary school.

"I think it was against the law that he hit me with a belt," Donald said. "I think it's abuse."

CBS 2 has learned other children are coming forward with information about alleged abuses including details about belts that were allegedly kept hanging on a wall inside a room at the school where the punishment was dished out.

"It was like four belts hanging," Donald said.

"It hurts me the most because this is somebody he trusted, somebody he felt safe around," said Donald's mother Keisha Daxter.

His mother and grandmother suspected the school might be keeping his alleged abuse secret, so two days after the alleged incident, they called police and our CBS 2 investigative team.

"They definitely broke their promise, definitely broke their promise, and that's why I came to you," said Donald's grandmother Lorraine Daxter. 

The "promise" she's talking about came last month from new schools CEO Ron Huberman.

"We'll take very direct action against anyone who uses those means," Huberman said.

Last month, Huberman said he would speed up investigations and ensure the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services, DCFS, is immediately notified of abuse allegations.

But in Donald Shearrill's case, Huberman's office confirms that the principal failed to notify DCFS, and the security guard wasn't suspended pending an investigation until nine days later - not until after CBS 2 got involved.

"This should be a big, big matter, it shouldn't be taken lightly," said Keisha Daxter.

CBS 2 has now found 819 allegations of physical contact involving Chicago Public School staff against students. More than half of those cases, 418, have been found to be valid.

Broomsticks, belts, yardsticks and staplers were used on students in class, and wooden paddles were used on athletes who made mistakes during practice.

Huberman inherited the corporal punishment scandal, and his office says he's working quickly to implement changes to protect children.

"It surprised me that he hurt me like that," Donald said. "Because I didn't think he would do something like that."

No one from Kozminski school would return our calls.

Ron Huberman's office says it is conducting a full-scale investigation into other abuse allegations at this school. A spokesman said no promises were broken, but admits that the school did not report the case to DCFS. Our year-long probe has prompted investigations by the school board, as well as a new policy on how coaches can treat athletes.

Read the full text of the new rule against corporal punishment below:

Section 18 - Corporal Punishment Prohibited:
"The use of corporal punishment on students is strictly prohibited. Corporal punishment is the deliberate use of physical force on a student, (e.g. slapping, hitting, pushing, shaking, twisting, pinching, choking, swatting, head banging, paddling or use of any type of object or instrument that has contact with a student) or requiring a student to take an action solely for the purpose of causing the student physical pain, (e.g. forcing a student to stand or kneel for an inordinate period of time, forcing a student into a physical position that causes pain). Coaches, assistant coaches and athletic directors, whether they are employees or volunteers, are strictly prohibited from inflicting corporal punishment of any kind upon students. This rule shall not be construed to prohibit the use of drills, conditioning and other acceptable coaching methods designed to develop athletic skills, teamwork, physical endurance and strength."