Humble ISD Substitute Teacher Fired After Cameras Captured Her Attempting To Wash Out A Student’s Mouth With Soap

A substitute teacher from Humble Independent School District has reportedly lost her job for washing out a student’s mouth with soap.

The incident occurred at the Cambridge School on Tuesday, which specifically serves students with special education needs. LaShae Celestine, the mother of the student involved, expressed dissatisfaction with the school’s lack of immediate transparency regarding the incident. Notably, the classroom where the incident took place is equipped with a camera, allowing Celestine to review the entire episode on video. Celestine explained that her 13-year-old daughter, Harmony, who has Down syndrome, has limited speaking abilities.

“You can’t unsee that video. Like, you really assaulted my baby by putting soap in her mouth,” Celestine said.

During the incident, a substitute teacher was supervising Harmony’s classroom when the girl posed a question.

“She said, ‘What you doing?’ And she has a speech impediment because she (has) Down syndrome. And the lady answered her, and then maybe about a few minutes later, my daughter said, ‘What’s that?’ And it wasn’t as clear,” Celestine added.

According to Humble Independent School District, the substitute teacher interpreted Harmony’s question as a swear word and purportedly instructed her to wash her mouth out. The district reported that this occurred just before 10 a.m. However, Celestine claimed that she was not notified of the incident until 1 p.m.

Nevertheless, the district confirmed that the teacher is no longer employed with Humble Independent School District. In a statement, HISD stated, “We are shocked and outraged by the actions taken by the substitute teacher. All school staff should care for students in a respectful manner that honors the partnership with their parents. The district has reported the incident to Child Protective Services and Humble ISD Police are investigating.”