DECATUR, Ill. (WAND) - Decatur Public Schools learned about a teacher allegedly battering an 8-year-old student on the day it happened and from the accused teacher, emails and texts obtained by WAND News in a Freedom of Information Act request show.Â
WAND News obtained the texts and emails Wednesday evening. They involved messages between South Shores Elementary School Principal Geneka Gully and Assistant Superintendent Jeffery Dase, and the messages were from the day of the alleged Aug. 20, 2021 situation that unfolded between teacher Jamie Goodman and the student.Â
According to police, Goodman had told kids to put their heads down. They said she then pushed an 8-year-old child's head down when the child didn't do it voluntarily, hitting her forehead on the desktop.
Police said statements obtained in the investigation led them to believe what happened was intentional and out of frustration.Â
"I just had a teacher come talk to me in tears, telling me how much she does not feel like she is good for kids," Gully said to Dase in texts from just after 11:30 a.m. on the day of the alleged battery. "She also told me that she put ... a kid's head down onto the desk out of her own frustration. She's said that she is burned out. She cried for about 30 minutes."Â
Gully then asked for direction on how to proceed.Â
Dase responded to these texts asking Gully to find out who the kid was and if force was used. He asked her to pull out random kids from class and ask them what happened. Gully responded by saying Goodman told another teacher and she was called by that teacher.Â
Photo; Decatur Public Schools via FOIA requestÂ
WAND News also received through FOIA emails from Decatur Public Schools regarding the alleged battery. They showed district administrators talking through their handling of the situation, along with communication involving the accused teacher.Â
Within hours after the alleged battery occurred, Goodman emailed Gully thanking her for "being a safe place for me to land, so I didn't break." She also thanked Gully for talking through options and thinking of ways to problem solve. She then said she would plan to return to class the following week after Aug. 20 "with support," and requested an extra adult for her classes with more students when possible.Â
"As you pointed out previously, these first few weeks are vital to establishing relationships, so I don't want to miss that opportunity," Goodman's email said.Â
WAND News had confirmed that Goodman did return to the classroom the following Monday. On the same day, the Decatur Police Department showed up and gave her a notice to appear on an aggravated battery to a child charge.Â
Other emails showed communication between district leaders after the parent of the child who was allegedly battered, Tiasha Dady, emailed asking for support, saying she felt DPS "is failing me, my daughter, and the other children attending South Shores school." She asked why immediate action wasn't taken and why Goodman was allowed to return to the classroom.Â
Board member Jason Dion responded to Dady.Â
"I agree as parents we must be our kids' advocates. No one cares more than we do for our own kids," Dion said. "I also agree that our schools should be a safe place for our kids."Â
He told Dady he wanted her to be heard and said he was hopeful after the board talks in closed session that "we can get you more information on how best to be heard."Â
Dady then voiced her frustration at the podium during a school board meeting that took place the week after Aug. 20, asking "who dropped the ball" and telling the board her daughter's trust in authority figures has been broken.Â
She called for Goodman to be fired and to lose her teacher's license. She also demanded answers from DPS.Â
"I had to take police to the school, I had to make reports, I had to force everything to happen. Who's fighting with me?" she said. "I'm fighting this by myself. I shouldn't be! I didn't do anything wrong. I sent my child to school with people who are supposed to be protect her."
