Briana Winkle said the footage of her son, Maddox, captured repeated mistreatment, including a moment in which the teacher kicked the boy while he lay on the ground.

"I was baffled. I was shocked, speechless," Winkle said. "There was a point that the pair came up and she had kicked him while he was laying on the ground."

Winkle said she had noticed warning signs before learning what the video allegedly showed. Maddox had begun crying when he saw the school bus, which she now believes may have been a sign he was afraid to go to school.

"It's heartbreaking. No child should be scared to go to school," she said.

The allegations came to light through another parent. Monica Davis said her daughter, who also has autism, came home with bruises on her arm on Aug. 21. Davis reported the injuries to the school district and to police, triggering an investigation involving law enforcement and Child Protective Services.

Winkle said investigators later contacted her after reviewing footage that involved her son. She credits Davis with bringing the matter forward.

"If she didn't speak up, we would have never known. And those teachers could potentially still be there," Winkle said.

Winkle said the district showed her the footage more than two months after the incident. In September, parents received emails saying the special education teacher and a paraprofessional had resigned, effective Sept. 11, but Winkle said the district did not initially explain why the employees were leaving.

"They said that they couldn't give us any information at that time. We didn't find out for what it was like a month later," she said.

Kennedale ISD said it conducted an internal investigation and notified parents of affected students. In a statement, the district said the employees involved are no longer employed by the district and that federal and state laws limit what it can disclose about personnel matters and student information.

"Although the District is limited in the information it can disclose, it has taken immediate action upon notice of these concerns and throughout the review of its investigation," the statement said. The district said it has implemented measures addressing classroom oversight, staff support and student safety, and remains cooperative with law enforcement and CPS.

Arlington police confirmed they are investigating the allegations, and Child Protective Services is also involved. No criminal charges have been filed.

Winkle said Maddox is now receiving therapy and has not been to school in several days. She described struggling with guilt over what happened.

"It's just really hard. And as a mother, I'm really struggling with the guilt aspect of it," she said. "Something has to change."