School aide kills herself after CCTV of her keeping boy in ‘scary’ ‘seclusion punishment room’ emerges

A SCHOOL aide tragically took her own life shortly after an investigation was launched over shocking footage showing her holding a boy, 7, in a seclusion room.

Staley Sandy-Ester is seen in a window-less room at Gages Lake School, a therapeutic school in Illinois, in a video from April 30 that was published by ProPublica Illinois and the Chicago Tribune.

During the video, he is seen repeatedly trying to walk out of the isolation area, only to be stopped by a school aide blocking the exit while sitting on a chair.

Shortly after Staley is seen kicking the woman’s leg, at which point she springs from her chair and pushes the boy -- who was diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder -- into a wall.

The aide then grabbed Staley from behind and ripped something from his hand before shoving him in the back and returning to her seat.

Staley’s parents became aware when he told his parents about the “scary” room, dubbed “The office”, at this school.

Beth Sandy, Staley’s mom, saw the footage about a month later -- around the same time the Illinois Department of Children and Family Services launched an investigation into use of the room.

“This is messed up and other people need to hear about it,” Sandy told ProPublica after she showed the group the video.

“I want to be a part of something to stop this from happening to another child.”

ProPublica reports special education officials for the school district first watched the video while investigating another incident and alerted DCFS.

It was found as many as eight students - including Staley - might have been abused over a one month period.

In the wake of the investigation, two aides at the school resigned, including Nicholas Izquierdo.

He faces criminal charges over allegations of using excessive force on students, however, an attorney for the aide says his client denies any wrongdoing.

The other aide was the woman seen in the video with Staley. She tragically died by suicide soon after learning of the investigation.

According to ProPublica, 21 investigations into alleged physical abuse at the school has been opened since May.

As part of the investigation, District Superintendent Valerie Donnan aid 'many hours of video footage' were watched.

“If we observed interactions that did not comply with (district) protocols, we did not look away,” Donnan said, adding officials contacted parents, the state and law enforcement.

“We have been actively and relentlessly working to change,” she told ProPublica and the Tribune.

As part of a broader investigation into the use of seclusion rooms, ProPublica and the Chicago Tribune found “more than 20,000 incidents from the 2017-18 school year and through early December 2018”.

After the report was published state officials passed an emergency measure to temporarily ban the practice, and are seeking to make it permanent.

If you or someone you know is affected by any of the issues raised in this story, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-TALK (8255) or text Crisis Text Line at 741741.