CHICAGO — The mother of a Chicago Public Schools student who was allegedly shoved down a flight of stairs by a school security guard this week said her daughter is still in "a great deal of pain."
And Pershaun Goodlow — mother of high school student Lauren Goodlow — said she was "shocked and appalled" when she saw video of the event captured on a cell phone.
"I literally broke down crying, and every time I hear it on the news or see it, I still cry," Goodlow said in a phone interview Saturday.
Lauren Goodlow, a sophomore at Dunbar Vocational Career Academy, was in a verbal argument with another girl when the security guard apparently grabbed her wrist and pulled her away, according to the family's lawyer, Mark Sutter.
Sutter said Goodlow told the guard he was hurting her and tried to break away from him when he began pushing her.
"Everybody knows their own kid from time to time causes trouble, but to be treated like this, it's unacceptable," Sutter said. "Animals aren't treated like this. It's unbelievable and egregious and inexcusable and unjustified."
Goodlow said her daughter has not returned to school since the incident. The sophomore student is being checked by medical specialists following the fall, which knocked her unconscious, Sutter said. He could not comment specifically on the extent of her injuries.
CPS officials released a statement Thursday and said the security guard was immediately removed from his position after CPS was notified.
"The safety of our students is our top priority," said Becky Carroll, CPS spokeswoman. "CPS takes matters of employee misconduct very seriously, especially when it involves an employee whose job it is to ensure the safety of students."
A CPS spokesman said the Chicago Police Department had taken over the investigation.
Sutter said no legal action has been taken yet but said he will ensure Goodlow "gets justice," which he believes could include criminal charges against the security officer.
Pershaun Goodlow said she is "enraged" that a school official charged with protecting her daughter would act that way.
"I send my child to school to get an education, not to be abused and attacked," Goodlow said.
