NJ mom demands answers after 3-year-old son with autism returns home bruised

NJ mom questions school after autistic son comes home with bruises

A Newark mother says her 3-year-old son, who is autistic and nonverbal, returned from school with bruises on his head. The school told her he fell from a cot, but she says the injuries don?t add up. Police are investigating as she demands answers. FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini has the latest.

NEW JERSEY - A New Jersey mother is demanding answers after her 3-year-old son with autism returned home from school with bruises and bumps on his head.

The backstory:

The boy, Aaron, had just started attending the Early Childhood Center Central at Quitman Street School last week. His mother, Alexandra Dominguez, said she was shocked when she picked him up from school on Tuesday and saw his condition.

"He was not crying. He was whining, but he was not crying. And he had bruises all over his head," Dominguez told FOX 5 NY's Stephanie Bertini. 

School gives conflicting accounts

Because Aaron is autistic and nonverbal, his mother says he can't explain to her exactly what happened. Dominguez said she asked school staff for an explanation but was given conflicting accounts.

"It’s too many different versions," she said. "Like this teacher… told me he fell from the cot, [and that] he was jumping on the cot and then he fell."

When asked to clarify, she said the school indicated it was the cot where Aaron naps and that he had been rubbing his face on it, causing little red dots on his face. 

When Aaron's mom asked about the other bruises on his head, she said they didn't have an answer.

That's when she said her and the child's father filed a report with the Newark Police Department.

Newark police confirmed the boy was taken to University Hospital for treatment and in a statement Newark Public Safety Director Fritz Fragé said the incident "remains under investigation" and no further information is currently available.

Dominguez said her son is in a special class with an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) because of his autism. 

She claims the school assured her he would receive the proper support.

"When I mentioned his IEP to the school and the case manager, she said, ‘Oh yes, we have that here. We have the support that you need and that he needs.’ So when I see him like this, I’m like, they lost their patience," Dominguez said.

Now, she is considering whether negligence played a role. 

Dominguez said she wants accountability and is looking into other options. "I’m trying to see what I can do, like get a better school, get a specialized school only for autistic kids," she said.

FOX 5 NY reached out to Newark Public Schools for comment on the incident and they declined.