CROYDON, Pa. (CBS) – A Bucks County father took to social media Tuesday night, sharing his story and demanding change after he said his kindergarten son was allegedly abused at school.
In a now-viral TikTok video that Stephen Callahan recently posted, he said his 5-year-old son, Grayson, was physically attacked by a fourth-grade student with special needs last Thursday while they were both at Keystone Elementary.
“I haven’t eaten or slept properly since it happened,” Callahan said in an interview with CBS News Philadelphia on Tuesday.
In the social media video, Callahan said he was initially told by the school that it was an accident, but later learned from the principal that a fourth-grader’s assistant was distracted during the incident.
“I feel helpless,” he said in the TikTok video.
On Tuesday, the Croydon father said his son is physically recovering from injuries to his face and mouth.
“I believe that, due to the negligence of an employee, a child with special needs was left unattended and that child attacked my son,” Callahan said.
Callahan said he is speaking out to make sure this doesn’t happen to anyone else. The family’s attorney, David Langsam, believes there is surveillance footage, but neither he nor the family have seen it yet.
“It’s a parent’s worst nightmare to take your children somewhere where you expect them to learn and be safe. When something like that happens, it completely destroys your faith,” Langsam says.
The district confirmed the incident and released a statement that read in part:
“On Thursday, May 16, a Keystone Elementary Preschool student was injured when he was pushed into the cafeteria by a fourth-grade student in a Bucks County Intermediate Unit (BCIU) special education program.
We apologize to the student and his family and wish the child a speedy recovery. Our primary concern is the health and safety of all our students, and when a student is injured at school, we are saddened.
The BCIU operates a special education program that utilizes space within Keystone Elementary School. The students covered by this program are BCIU students, not Bristol Township School District students. The staff administering the program are employees of the BCIU, not the Bristol Township School District.”
The statement adds that the BCIU team is conducting an active investigation into the incident.
The BCIU released a statement that reads in part: “Based on the findings of this investigation, the Bucks IU will take appropriate actions specific to the students, team members and programs involved. In addition to the swift action taken by the Bucks IU team undertaken, the Bucks IU remains committed to supporting all involved in this difficult situation.”
Bristol Township Police said an investigation has been opened and is ongoing with the Bristol Township School District and the Bucks County Intermediate Unit.
