The Seattle teachers' union's election for president was won by a currently suspended teacher who was accused of physically abusing an autistic third grader.
Ibijoke Idowu-Holiday, a former Black Lives Matter organizer and special education teacher at Rising Star Elementary, was elected on Friday to represent roughly 6,000 employees of the Seattle Public Schools [SPS] system.
Idowu-Holiday's win comes amid allegations that she repeatedly abused a partially verbal boy for months at Rising Star. The young student has autism and a speech delay.
According to a complaint obtained by the Seattle Times, the child's parents noticed bruises on his arms in October before finding even more in December.
His parents also claimed that in December, the child's therapist witnessed Idowu-Holiday hurl a marker at the child that struck the glasses on the child's face.
A police report seen by the outlet showed several other claims that their children complained about Idowu-Holiday hurting them by grabbing them too roughly.
She is currently under investigation by the district after being placed on paid leave in December, according to Bev Redmond, the SPS chief of staff and public affairs.
Remond did not provide specifics regarding her suspension but acknowledged that the district notified the Seattle Police Department of the allegations.
Ibijoke Idowu-Holiday, a former Black Lives Matter organizer and special education teacher at Rising Star Elementary was elected president of the Seattle teachers' union on Friday
Idowu-Holiday has been on paid leave December. She was accused of abusing a boy for months at Rising Star. The young student has autism, a speech delay, and is only partially verbal
Tyson Marsh, the third grader's father, told the outlet that his son resists going to school and is emotionally distressed following the alleged abuse.
'Any movement toward him is received as if you were going to attack him,' Marsh said.
Police sent the case as a statutory referral to the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office on May 6.
'Police typically send a case and identify the referral as a statutory referral when they do not believe they have evidence for prosecutors to charge a crime,' said Casey McNerthney, the spokesperson for the prosecuting attorney's office, to the outlet in an email.
McNerthney added that they are still reviewing the referral and that additional materials may be gathered.
Before Idowu-Holiday joined SPS in 2021, she was organizing Black Lives Matter protests in Renton and West Seattle.
She told KUOW that she also worked as a personal banker, where she felt very self-conscious about coming to work with her natural hair or braids.
The boy's parents said that they noticed their son come home with bruises on his arms in October and December
The parents also claimed that the child's therapist witnessed Idowu-Holiday hurl a marker at the child striking him in the face and glasses
The outlet added that Idowu-Holiday led a protest with a megaphone in hand, calling out any business that didn't support the BLM movement.
'We are boycotting those businesses as well, hitting them in their pockets. People will shape up when their money is affected,' she told KUOW in 2020.
She stressed at another demonstration that year how important it was to only support businesses that backed her cause, even if they were in the minority.
'We have to hold poc [people of color-owned] businesses accountable too,' she said, as she pointed to a Mexican restaurant.
'We are not supporting these businesses that do not support us. Be mindful. Hit them in their wallets.'
The Daily Mail has reached out to Ibijoke Idowu-Holiday for comment.