WACO, Texas (KXXV) — Parents tell 25 News they are shocked after a special education teacher who worked at the Waco Independent School District was arrested and charged with three counts of injury to a child.
45-year-old Randi Lynn Fowler is accused of physically abusing a 7-year-old boy with special needs at Dean Highland Elementary School.
Bella Popadiuk talks to Waco ISD parents about the investigation:
The investigation:
In the most recent incident on March 31, court records show Fowler placed the boy by her desk when he started to act out. That's when detectives say Fowler hit the child across the face, after he reached for her backpack, causing him to cry. The affidavit says she then put the child under her desk.
Investigators say they met with two witnesses who observed the incident. School staff also reported the child was brought to them for medical attention.
During the investigation detectives also discovered three additional incidents dating back to January and December.
The affidavit says a video time-stamped on Jan. 8, 2025 showed the defendant sitting in a chair with a 7-year-old student in the corner of a room designated as a "safe space." The child is heard screaming and crying as the defendant sits in a chair with her back to the camera.
The affidavit continues to say "a slapping sound can be heard in which the defendant's body is observed shaking as if having just completed some sort of motion. A voice in the recording is heard stating, "Do not hit me". Fowler then stands the child up, spins him around to face him away from her, and wraps her arm around his upper chest or neck area."
A second video provided was time-stamped on Jan. 10, 2025, showing the defendant carrying the child with her right arm wrapped around the child's neck, with the child lifted into the air.
Witnesses observed on Dec. 18, 2024, the defendant placed her arms around the child's neck area, as well as placed her hand around the child's mouth which he began to scream and cry. The defendant then "body slammed" the child onto a pile of pillows in what is designated as the classroom "safe area".
Fowler bonded out of McLennan County Jail after her arrest. The district tells 25 News that Fowler is no longer an employee at Waco ISD.
BROADCAST TRANSCRIPT:
Some community members around Dean Highland Elementary tell 25 News they're shaken up from hearing about the arrest of 45-year-old Randi Lynn Fowler, a special education teacher at the school.
"We expect to drop off the kids and they're safe at school," a parent at Dean Highland Elementary said. "To hear something that happened like that, it got to me, because I'm like, what if that happened to my daughter? What if my daughter was in that situation, you know? So it was heartbreaking.”
Fowler is facing three counts of injury to a child.
According to the complaint filed by Waco ISD police, the case involves four incidents — the latest just last month. Court records show Fowler is accused of hitting a 7-year-old special needs child across the face, after he reached for her backpack, causing him to cry.
The affidavit shows Fowler then put the child under her desk. Investigators say they met with two witnesses who observed the incident. School staff also reported the child was brought to them for medical attention.
"That's pretty sad when you gotta be afraid to send your kid, your handicapped kid, to school," a grandparent at Dean Highland said. "It's not the school's fault, because who knows what was going on with that person. I can't blame school. It's a good school.”
During the investigation detectives also discovered three additional incidents dating back to January and December.
They involved physical force, including accusations that Fowler body slammed the child onto a pile of pillows.
Waco ISD says it contacted child protective services after staff reported the incident.
The district sent us a statement:
“Waco ISD contacted Child Protective Services on March 31 in response to a staff report received that day involving a teacher at Dean Highland Elementary allegedly striking a student in a special education classroom. While we are limited in what we can share due to student privacy and the ongoing investigation, we can confirm that the teacher has been arrested. The student is safe, and the family is receiving our full support.
This situation is deeply troubling and does not reflect the values that define our special education programs or our district. As we continue our internal investigation, we are reviewing all safety protocols, training, and oversight practices to strengthen safeguards for every student. Waco ISD remains steadfast in our commitment to every student’s safety and success.”
