A puzzle piece is placed in one of the hands of Tangi Reynolds’ son — the start of a routine with his physical therapist to strengthen his core and stabilize his neck.
As he lies on his stomach, the physical therapist grabs the puzzle piece from his hand and sets it at the center of his back.
From lying flat on his stomach on the ground, he is then tasked with walking across the room in a bear crawl, while keeping the piece on his back balanced, his mother said.
She said to an outside eye, the motion could look simple or even playful.
But life since Nov. 3, 2025, has been everything but those two things, she said in an interview with the Tribune.
On that day, Reynolds said her son’s neck was injured during an alleged confrontation with a special education classroom assistant at Parker Elementary School in Englewood, leaving him in a cervical neck collar for more than two months.
Cook County prosecutors filed criminal charges on Feb. 11 against former Parker Elementary school special education classroom assistant Tamika Odeh for aggravated battery of a child. According to the police report, Odeh allegedly placed Reynold’s son in a chokehold, allegedly injuring his neck.
Odeh’s next court appearance is scheduled for Thursday morning. Her attorney did not return requests for comment.
In addition to the police report, Reynolds filed a complaint in federal court on Nov. 20 against the district. And after months of silence, Reynolds said she is now speaking out as she believes Chicago Public Schools officials failed to protect her son.
“This is about holding the district accountable,” Reynolds told the Tribune. “Every child should be safe when they attend school and every parent wants to know that their child is safe in their absence.”
The civil lawsuit alleges that Odeh assaulted her son without justification or provocation.
The suit further alleges that CPS was “aware or should have been aware of the risks of staff misconduct at Parker Community Academy, including prior complaints of excessive force.”
Neither Odeh or CPS administrators notified authorities — such as the Chicago Police Department and Department of Children and Family Services — as required by law, according to the suit. Following the incident, the suit also said Reynold’s son was not provided medical assistance.
In a statement to the Tribune, CPS said they do not comment on pending litigation, but the district “remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of its students.”
Because he is a minor involved in a criminal suit, the Tribune is not naming Reynold’s son.
“My son is 8 years old. He did nothing to deserve what happened to him. He did nothing to cause what’s happened to him,” Reynolds said.
Reynolds also told the Tribune that she was not notified of the incident until the following day, Nov. 4, 2025.
But as Reynolds pieces together what occurred that day at Parker Elementary, she said she hopes that her son’s story will bring about change across the district, specifically, enhanced staff training.
Injury in the lunchroom
When Reynolds was hired as a bus operator for the Chicago Transit Authority in 2024, she moved from southwest suburban Woodridge to Englewood and enrolled her children in the nearby Parker Elementary School.
A year later, the alleged incident occurred in the school’s lunchroom around 8 a.m., the prosecutor said, where Reynold’s son was allegedly placed in a chokehold by Odeh.
The incident began over a bag of chips, according to the prosecutor.
After telling Reynolds’ son, who had been standing at the table, to sit down, Odeh allegedly took his bag of chips, gave them back and then later threw them in the trash, according to the prosecutor. Then, Reynold’s son allegedly pushed her softly, according to the prosecutor, before Odeh attempted to pull his hair.
Odeh then allegedly put Reynolds’ son in a chokehold, placing both of her hands around his neck from behind, according to the prosecutor. While in the chokehold, the prosecutor said the boy lost consciousness and struggled to breathe.
After losing consciousness, the prosecutor said that Odeh allegedly dragged Reynold’s son by the neck to the hallway and threw him down, where he then hit his head on a chair in the hallway. A staff member corroborated the event and that other minor children were present, according to the prosecutor.
The Tribune has not received Odeh’s employment file from CPS, making it unclear whether Odeh had other alleged incidents on her employment record.
The following day, Reynolds said she took her son to Comer Children’s Hospital after learning about the incident.
According to his medical paperwork, Reynold’s son was diagnosed with a C2 ligament injury, which is described by the National Library of Medicine as a serious neck and spinal injury that affects and limits upper neck movement.
For more than two months, Reynolds said her son was confined to a cervical neck collar to be worn 24 hours a day.
“It was a very challenging time for us,” Reynolds said. “He couldn’t do things like put his shirt on. He couldn’t tie his shoes — he had limited mobility.”
While her children no longer attend Parker Elementary School, she said the impact of what occurred has weighed heavily on everyone, even her 7-year-old son, who witnessed the alleged Nov. 3 incident.
While seeking justice for her children, Reynolds said she does not want her 8-year-old son to simply be known as the boy who was allegedly assaulted by a teacher’s aide or the boy who wore a cervical collar for months.
He is a straight-A student and is on the honor roll, she said. He also dreams of being a soccer player, Reynolds said, and enjoys art, especially drawing faces in his notebook.
His uncle, DeAndre Jackson, emphasized Reynold’s son’s passion for art, noting that he has remained as positive as possible despite everything that happened to him. “Even though he went through that situation. . . He’s still that bubbly kid,” Jackson said.
So, when Reynolds stands beside her son during his physical therapy exercises, she’s reminded of how it challenges his body and mind.
During those moments, she said she whispers a gentle reminder to him. “You can do it,” Reynolds recalled saying. “Let’s get back to the things that you love.”
