NORTHWEST TALLAHASSEE, FL — A Tallahassee mother demands answers after police say a private school driver beat her son with a belt, striking him up to 20 times.
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A Tallahassee mother is demanding answers after police say a private school driver beat her son with a belt — and she says she never gave anyone permission to discipline her child that way.
Laketra Pleas said she was caught off guard when the video spread quickly online and was shared on Facebook.
Pleas said corporal punishment is not her parenting style and she never gave the school permission to use it.
"When I pick him up from the school, he acted like she was kind of nervous kind of scared," Pleas said.
Tallahassee police arrested bus driver Timothy Bryant and charged him with child abuse without great bodily harm. An arrest affidavit says Bryant was working as a driver for Changing Lives Four Ever Private School when the incident happened.
Investigators say a video shows a van stopping before a man pulls a child out of the vehicle and strikes him with a belt between 15 and 20 times. A passing neighbor captured the incident on video.
Bryant appeared before a judge Thursday and was granted supervised pre-trial release.
I stopped by the school and met the owner and administrator, Dr. Kista Miller. She said she did not want to comment or provide a written statement at this time.
Pleas said she believes questions should be raised about how students are being disciplined at the school.
"I'mma end up taking him out that school, for right now my mom watch him while I'm working so I really don't have off days like that so I'mma have to figure that out," Pleas said.
Pleas said she wants justice for her son and plans to take legal action.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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