Autistic student, 21, dies after he was restrained by teachers at Texas special needs school that is also being investigated for video of six educators pinning fourth-grade girl to the ground
- Xavier Hernandez, 21, died shortly after being restrained by employees at Boulevard Heights on March 1
- His cause of death has not been determined, but his family believes it is directly related to the restraining incident
- Disability Rights Texas are investigating reports that the restraints used in Hernandez’ case were improper and unnecessary
- Just two months later, six employees at the same school were caught on video pinning down a fourth-grade student
An autistic student died after he was restrained by teachers at a Texas special needs school, a new report has revealed.
Xavier Hernandez, 21, passed away March 1, after being rushed to hospital from Boulevard Heights – a school set up for disabled students in Fort Worth.
Medical examiners have not yet determined Hernandez’ cause of death, but his family believes there is no way he died from natural causes and want someone to be held ‘financially or criminally’ accountable.
‘Someone is responsible for his death,’ Hernandez’ aunt, Ebonie Baltimore, told Fort Worth Star Telegram on Thursday. ‘We need to know what happened to him’.
Xavier Hernandez, 21, passed away March 1, after being restrained by employees at Boulevard Heights – a school set up for disabled students in Fort Worth
!['Someone is responsible for his death,' Hernandez' aunt, Ebonie Baltimore, told Fort Worth Star Telegram on Thursday. The pair are pictured in an old social media snap](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/06/18/15/44388369-9700997-_Someone_is_responsible_for_his_death_Hernandez_aunt_Ebonie_Balt-a-75_1624026071006.jpg)
‘Someone is responsible for his death,’ Hernandez’ aunt, Ebonie Baltimore, told Fort Worth Star Telegram on Thursday. The pair are pictured in an old social media snap
Hernandez arrived at Boulevard Heights around 8am on the morning of his death, before dispatch records show the school called for an ambulance at 10.44am.
Due to the severity of Hernandez’ autism, he is required to be in the presence of a school employee at all times, so his family insist that someone knows exactly what happened to him. But Baltimore alleges that the school has not been forthcoming with information.
A spokesperson confirmed to Fort Worth Star Telegram that a school employee restrained Hernandez sometime before the ambulance was called, but would not say whether that was directly linked to his subsequent death.
Disability Rights Texas are investigating reports that the restraints used in Hernandez’ case were improper and unnecessary
Texas state law mandates that schools notify a parent or guardian within 24 hours if they have had to restrain a student.
And while Boulevard Heights got in contact with the Hernandez family in this instance, the school is under fire for not reporting a separate restraining incident to another student’s parents.
![On May 7, a bystander captured video of fourth-grade student Toni Crenshaw being pinned down by six employees at the school](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/06/18/17/44388361-9700997-On_May_7_a_bystander_captured_video_of_fourth_grade_student_Toni-a-2_1624034292616.jpg)
On May 7, a bystander captured video of fourth-grade student Toni Crenshaw being pinned down by six employees at the school
On May 7, a bystander captured video of fourth-grade student Toni Crenshaw being pinned down by six employees at the school.
The disturbing video – which was filmed just two months after Hernandez’ death – shows Crenshaw shrieking for the teachers to get off her.
The girls’ mom, Sandra Crosby, told Fort Worth Star Telegram that she only learned of what happened to her daughter after the video went viral on social media.
‘It did something to my soul,’ Crosby stated. ‘I had a long talk with my baby and let her know it’s never OK for this to happen.’
Crosby has now pulled her daughter out of Boulevard Heights saying she doesn’t feel safe having her daughter enrolled there.
Meanwhile, Hernandez’ family are awaiting the results of an autopsy which they believe will shed more light on what really happened at the school that day.
They told Fort Worth Star Telegram that they are unafraid to contact attorneys to pursue legal action against Boulevard Heights if necessary.
![Boulevard Heights - a school set up for disabled students in Fort Worth](https://i.dailymail.co.uk/1s/2021/06/18/15/44388357-9700997-Boulevard_Heights_a_school_set_up_for_disabled_students_in_Fort_-a-76_1624026071334.jpg)
Boulevard Heights – a school set up for disabled students in Fort Worth