CHESAPEAKE, Va. – More allegations are coming to light against Chesapeake Special Education teacher Janice Maw.
Sherease Cook said her daughter Aniyah, 15, always loved going to school. That love was almost lost several years ago when Cook said Aniyah’s behavior suddenly changed.
“Fussy, very moody,” said Cook. “All she would do when she got home from school was just sleep and she wouldn’t eat. My daughter is known for eating. She loves to eat.”
Cook said Aniyah was seven years old when she was mistreated and neglected in the classroom. Cook claims it happened eight years ago at Grassfield Elementary School in Chesapeake by Maw.
Maw is the same teacher who was just arrested at the end of August after three parents reported her to the school district. They claim Maw physically and verbally abused their children at Grassfield at the end of last school year.
Since Maw’s arrest, a third parent has filed charges against her.
“I had just assumed it was just my daughter,” Cook said. “I had no idea there could've ever been more people.”
Cook claims she saw Maw pulling Aniyah by the wrist. She also said Maw wouldn’t change her daughter’s dirty diaper for the entire school day, which is a requirement noted on her individualized education program (IEP).
Cook says Aniyah has Down Syndrome and autism and can’t verbalize much, so she wasn’t able to tell her mother.
“This is your job; this is what you signed up for,” Cook said. “This is what you went to school for.”
Cook claims she made repeated complaints about Maw to school leaders.
A spokesperson for Chesapeake Public Schools, however, said there’s no record of her accusations.
Cook admits she never documented any of the behavioral or physical changes, which is vital according to child advocate Cheryl Poe.
Poe is the executive director and founder of Advocating 4 Kids.
“Parents, you can't trust the system to protect your children,” Poe said. “It's up to you to be your child's best advocate and the key pieces are documenting. If it's not in writing, it didn't happen.”
If you suspect a teacher is abusing your kid in any way, Poe said you should try talking to your child first and immediately contact the school.
Report it with school administration and if nothing changes, you could take it a step further by going to CPS, or the police.
“Trusting the system to do the right thing, and when I say system, the educational system to do the right thing is a mistake,” said Poe. “More times than not, they’re not going to want to investigate it with the detail that you’re going to want as a parent, and it’s because of liability.”
Cook said she’s sharing her story now in hopes that it’ll help other parents come forward if they suspect mistreatment or abuse in the classroom.
“When we leave our kids in the hands of these teachers we shouldn't have to worry about, is my child getting hit? Is my child getting fed? Is my child getting changed,” she said. “We should not have to sit home or sit at work and worry about these things.”
Cook ended up pulling her daughter out of Grassfield and says today, Aniyah is thriving.
“These kids have feelings,” Cook said. “They have souls. They have hearts. They're human. They're not animals. They're not something you can just toss to the side because you don't want to deal with it.”
Maw has been on administrative leave.
News 3 reached out to Maw for her side of the story. She told reporter Antoinette DelBel, “No comment.”
Maw’s arraignment is scheduled for December 7 at 1 p.m.
