A disturbing incident at Lakewood High School has sparked outrage after father Dee Hastie alleged that a teacher threw his autistic son, Stylez, to the ground and choked him inside the school cafeteria.
According to reports circulating on social media, a video recorded by another student captured the entire altercation, reportedly showing the teacher’s actions from start to finish. Once school administrators reviewed the footage, the teacher was immediately terminated, and another staff member from the same class resigned the following day.
In a viral Facebook post, the boy’s mother described the heartbreaking ordeal, saying their ninth-grade son, who is non-verbal and wears pull-ups, has come home several times with unexplained bruises and injuries.
The family’s attorney was reportedly offered a settlement, but the parents have refused, stating that their goal is justice — not money.
Dee Hastie expressed his anger and disbelief in his post, writing:
“A teacher from Lakewood High threw my son, STYLEZ — a special needs student — down to the ground in the cafeteria, literally choking him by the back of his neck. Another student recorded the entire 1:16 video. Once the school saw it, the teacher was fired immediately, and the other teacher in his class resigned the next day.
Our child is helpless. He can’t even tell us how he’s being treated behind closed doors. He’s come home with bruises on multiple occasions. When we finally saw the video — it was horrible.”
The Sumter School District has yet to release an official statement regarding the incident, but the story has ignited public outrage and calls for accountability across the community.
