Parents Allege Pflugerville, Texas Teacher Broke Autistic Son’s Fingers

A teacher in Pflugerville, Texas is currently facing a felony charge after she alleged broke the fingers of an Elementary student. Here's what is known at the time of writing.

Child Allegedly Harmed Pflugerville Elementary School By Teacher

According to KVUE, on the day of September 4th, 2024, Donte and Tabathe Moore were alerted to their young five year old child, Noah, in discomfort. The child told his parents that his teacher, McKinize Merrell, "She broke my hand, she bent my hand back."

Following the child telling his parents of what happened, the family then proceeded to go to St. David's North Austin Medical Center. There, it was found that the child had two fractured fingers located on his right hand, the pinky and ring finger. The next day, police were summoned to Pflugerville Elementary, where Donte, the father, informed police of the situation.

In addition, Noah also reiterated to the Department of Family and Protective Services that McKinize Merrell was the one who harmed him.

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Police Look At School Videotape, Merrell Refutes Allegations

KVUE reports that when police searched through school security tapes, they did not find any video evidence of Merrell harming the child. They did show Merrell and Noah together at one point. But Merrell, when speaking to law enforcement, denied she harmed Noah.

Two unnamed teachers also spoke to law enforcement, where one told police that Merrell was "hit and kicked her in the shins," which led to Merrell allegedly disciplining Noah. The other teacher stated that Noah also told them that Merrell was the one who broke his fingers, but was unable to answer further questions.

The assistant principal told law enforcement that there was not an incident in regards to Noah's behavior, contradicting Merrell's claims. Merrell, per KVUE, was not only placed on administrative leave then let go from the district, she was also taken into custody for the charge of injury to a child with a disability causing serious bodily injury.

As this is a developing story, we will have more information when it becomes available.