TPS mother says son is suffering mentally after allegedly being attacked by a school dean

TULSA, Okla. — A mom has filed a police report after alleging her son was physically assaulted by a dean in a Tulsa Public School. Lynnette Parker said it happened in May 2022, and is still waiting for answers from Tulsa Public Schools (TPS).

“I be having headaches and I still dream about what happens on that day,” 11-year-old Z’Aden Tooson said.

Park said at the time of the incident, Z’Aden was 10-years old when he was assaulted by the dean at Unity Learning Academy. She said he was left with scratches on his neck and was bleeding.

“She swung him into the locker, up and down the hall, head hitting the door knob. He’s had injuries sustained from that. It was uncalled for. No kid should be treated like that,” Parker said.

Parker filed a police report with Campus Police and hired an attorney. I reached out to TPS for a copy of the report, but I didn’t get a copy. TPS did send this statement:

“Nothing matters more than keeping our children safe in our schools. We hold every member of our team to the highest standards and expect adults in our buildings to model the same behaviors we want to see from our students. While we are not able to share confidential personal information, we can share that we take reports of inappropriate employee behavior seriously and respond immediately to ensure the safety of our school communities. Our response to reports like these includes a thorough investigation of the matter and context, and, as needed, we may also engage with other law enforcement agencies. Depending on the results of the investigation, the employee involved may be subject to disciplinary action up to and including termination, if appropriate.

We encourage our students, families, and community to always report safety incidents or concerns to our safety hotline at 918-480-SAFE. Our hotline is staffed around the clock and calls can be anonymously and confidentially.”

Z’Aden has ADHD. He’s in what’s called an Individualized Education Program, also known as IEP. It’s a written plan for students with disabilities to help with accommodations and instructional approaches to help meet their educational needs.

On the day Parker said her son was assaulted, Z’Aden was trying to make sure he can attend field day. She said the principal gave him two options: to go to the Dean’s office, or a “safe place” in the classroom. She said Z’Aden chose to go to the classroom. That’s when Parker said the Dean tried getting him to her office instead.

According to Z’Aden’s IEP contract an intervention method for him is to go to a “safe place” to rest or a “safe place” in the classroom.

Parker said Z’Aden didn’t do anything to the Dean and he was never in trouble for him to be assaulted.

She said she’d like for Z’Aden to receive therapy and TPS be held accountable.