Mom arrested while trying to console special needs son in school

Missouri resident Niakea Williams was at home, in bed when she got a phone call from Walnut Groves Elementary School. She was told that her son, Michael,who has Asperger’s syndrome, was panicking. Niakea quickly head over to her son’s school, got buzzed in, and immediately went to find Michael. As KMOV News 4 reports, what happened next has Ms. Williams furious.

Ms. Williams, though she had been buzzed in as a “known parent” by school officials, apparently broke protocol when she did not sign in before heading to Michael’s classroom to console him. Williams admits this but feels she was justified, telling KMOV, “I didn’t sign the book, but I had to check on my son.” She told the principal to bring the book to her and she’d sign it, but the administrator had other ideas. Niakea recounts, “She said, ‘Oh no, I’ve already called the police.’”

She had indeed called the police. Calverton Park Police showed up and put the school in a 12-minute lockdown due to an “unauthorized entry to a school.” Williams was arrested and taken to the police station on trespassing charges. This all despite her being a known parent at the school who actually had met with the principal just one day prior.

Ms. Williams thinks the whole ordeal was unnecessary, telling the station, “They escorted me away from my son, who already has emotional distress. Four officers told me to turn around and put my hands behind my back, I was under arrest.” It’s unclear as to what will happen to Williams next, legally speaking. As for the school’s side of the story, KMOV made no mention of it.

More info: KMOV