LACKAWANNA, N.Y. (WKBW) — Former OLV Victory Learning Center staff member Chanel Willis was arrested after multiple allegations that she physically abused students at the Lackawanna school.
Willis has been charged with three counts of endangering the welfare of a child. She had her second appearance in Lackawanna City Court on Wednesday. She has pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Erie County District Attorney’s office confirmed that Willis’ charges stem from allegations that I first reported on in November.
I was told by the parents of two students that they were instructed to come to the school, where they say they were shown security camera footage of their children being physically abused by Willis. Both kids have autism and are nonverbal.
"We will not stop until we get justice for our kids," Diamond Tooles, the mother of 6-year-old De’Mario Tooles, said.
WATCH: 'My heart dropped': Parents allege their children were abused at Victory Learning Center in Lackawanna
“I seen my child eating, and for whatever reason, a staff member grabbed his arm and yolked him up,” Aniya Wiggins, the mother of 7-year-old Kaydin Smith, said to me in November. “I had seen another clipping where [Kaydin] was playing with a toy, and, for whatever reason, a staff member put her arm in the air, swung her arm back and hit him on his back-shoulder type of area hard. Hit him hard…My heart dropped. Once I had seen that, I couldn’t do nothing but break down and cry.”
“I saw his face being smushed, him being up against a wall, yelling at him, pointing her finger, her yolking him up. It was just horrible,” Tooles said in November. “It broke my heart. I just never imagined anything like that, like I don’t put my hands on nobody’s kids.”
Both Wiggins and Tooles told me that OLV Human Services would not let them record any of the footage that they were shown. They have both since removed their children from attending the school on Ridge Road.
According to OLV Human Services, on November 5, its leadership learned of and began investigating allegations of physical mistreatment of students by an employee that occurred on October 10. On November 6, it contacted the City of Lackawanna Police Department and filed a police report against the employee. OLV Human Services said the employee had been placed on leave and two other employees had been placed on leave "due to their conduct in the situation."
OLV Human Services has repeatedly refused to name Willis in any statements, only saying on Tuesday that “those who were placed on leave are no longer employed by OLV Human Services.”
The Lackawanna Mayor’s office stated that it has no comment in reference to Willis’ arrest.
According to OLV Human Services, it provides specialized services through the Victory Learning Center on Ridge Road for students who are diagnosed with autism or a cognitive disability paired with a mental health diagnosis.
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