DUNCANVILLE – Chris and Saunjole Murphy say they've been working to get answers about facial and eye injuries their son, Deven, suffered at Kennemer Middle School.
The couple says they've heard conflicting stories from the school's staff and want to get to the bottom line.
Deven, 13, is in the seventh grade. He's a child with autism and his parents describe him as non-verbal.
"I saw a huge gash over his right eye," said Chris Murphy as he described the injuries to his son's face.
Photos of the injuries Deven suffered on campus are graphic. One picture shows a large open wound arching over the boy's eye. His eye was nearly closed from swelling. Other photos showed how medical staff used stitches to close the gash over the boy's eye.
The Murphys say doctors told them their son's eye socket is fractured.
"I cried," said Chris Murphy. "I cried. I didn't know what to do."
Mr. Murphy says the school called him and said his son was hurt on campus. The injury allegedly happened while Deven was in gym class.
"I'm kind of frustrated," said Saunjole Murphy. "I'm kind of upset because my son really can't tell me what happened, and the only people that know what happened is the people that work there."
The Murphys say no one from the school is giving them a solid answer on what happened.
The boy suffered a concussion, nerve damage, and the parent's say doctors were worried the damage could impact their son's eyesight.
"They really didn't have an exact answer of what happened, and that was my concern," Mrs. Murphy explained. "Why don't you have an answer for me?"
The Murphys say at least three adults were monitoring Deven's special needs class at the time.
Tiara Richard, a spokeswoman from the Duncanville Independent School District, says an investigation in ongoing.
"Student safety is always the highest priority for us at Duncanville ISD," read a statement issued by Richardson.
The statement went on to say, "It is district procedure that if a student is injured on campus, no matter the severity of the injury, the district conducts a thorough investigation to determine what occurred."
The Murphys say the injury is the second time their son was hurt on a Duncaville ISD campus this year. The family is working with an attorney.
"Our main concern is figuring out what happened," explained Meagan Whitley, Esq. "We need a clear answer about what happened and we don't have that yet."
The Murphys say Deven's injuries could take months to heal. The couple says they to make sure their child is safe when, and if, he returns to the campus.
