Midlothian father accuses police, teachers of mistreatment during trip to park with son
MIDLOTHIAN (CBSNewsTexas.com) – A Midlothian father is accusing police and school teachers of mistreatment during a trip to a park with his son.
Broderick Russel says he had to start recording video because he couldn't believe what was happening Wednesday, when he took his 3-year-old son to Kimmel Park in Midlothian.
Russel says he was immediately confronted by teachers from Irvin Elementary School who told him he had to leave because the entire park was reserved for a school function.
"We got headed off by one of the teachers who told us that we couldn't enter the park so I questioned it," Russel said.
Russel says he called the city and was told that the school only had a pavilion reserved and not the nearby playground, which police also confirmed Thursday to CBS News Texas.
Still, he says teachers demanded he stop recording video and even called police.
Russel says he was made to feel like a bad guy even though he was well within his right to record video and be there with his son.
"I really couldn't express the anger I felt inside," he said.
The school's principal sent a letter out to parents calling the situation a misunderstanding and said that "...an adult was upset with our teachers and chose to film the discussion between the teachers and himself regarding this issue and post it on social media. The teachers were uncomfortable with the filming due to the safety of students. They eventually had to resort to calling the police."
Russel said that's not an accurate description of what happened and says he isn't satisfied with the way it ended when police determined the park and the playground were still open to the public.
"No, I'm not satisfied at all about how this ended," he said. "I felt like those teachers were out of bounds. I felt like the police officers were out of bounds."
Russel says he's considering a lawsuit and filing complaints with the school district and the police department.
