Newly elected Seattle teachers union president under investigation over alleged abuse of autistic child

The newly elected president of Seattle’s teachers union is under investigation over allegations involving the abuse of an autistic child, fueling outrage among parents and intensifying scrutiny of leadership inside one of the country’s most progressive education systems.

Fox 13 Seattle reported earlier this month that Ibi Idowu, the new president of the Seattle Public Schools teachers union, has been on paid leave since last December following allegations from parents of a third-grader at Rising Star Elementary School in Seattle, where Idowu was a special education teacher.

The parents claim that Idowu left bruises on their son’s arm, with a Seattle Police report shared in part by Fox 13 Seattle stating that the child had “four small bruises in a row, and one bruise next to the four.” 

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The report suggested that the bruising could have been caused by someone grabbing him by the arm and bruising him with their fingertips.

The Seattle Police report quoted by Fox 13 Seattle says that the student is “in third grade and attends Rising Star Elementary school and has limited verbal skills and is autistic.” 

Lara Hruska, an attorney for Cedar Law LLP, who is representing the third-grader’s family, said that someone else also witnessed an event where Idowu threw a marker at their son’s head.

“The third party witness was an outside behavioral therapist who was supporting in the classroom. She reported that the teacher threw a maker at the student’s face, she reported that the children … were afraid of this woman and she was hands-on with the other kids,” Hruska said.

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Fox 13 Seattle reported that the Seattle teachers union, the Seattle Education Association, said that they cannot speak on individual investigations, but said that, “Employees facing allegations have the right to a fair process which includes an investigation. Placement on administrative leave is non-disciplinary and is in the interest of providing needed time for a fair investigation.”

The SEA added that, “The district must establish evidence of sufficient cause before taking any disciplinary action.”

Fox 13 Seattle reported that Hruska believes that the third-grader’s family “is frustrated with the school district’s policy that does not provide copies of the investigation to families, instead making them go through a lengthy public records request.”

The New York Post reported that Idowu was a former organizer for Black Lives Matter, and The Seattle Times reported Idowu has been teaching at SPS since 2021. Her election results were certified by the Seattle Education Association board on May 8.

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The Seattle Times reported that Hruska and Cedar Law “recently won $8 million in damages from the district for a former SPS student who was punched in the face by his middle school math teacher.”

Fox News Digital reached out to the Seattle Education Association, Seattle Public Schools, Hruska, and attempted to reach Idowu for comment but did not immediately receive responses.

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