Update: Seattle special ed teacher and union president under investigation
SEATTLE — A Seattle Public Schools human resources investigation lays out allegations, and photos, that devastate Olla Ibrahim and Tyson Marsh.
"My child is 8 years old, and he has learned to not trust the adults in his own community and to feel that he is not safe in their presence," said Tyson Marsh of his son, who KING 5 is not naming.
Marsh said it traces back to what allegedly happened to their son in December under the care of Ibijoke Idowu.
Idowu is the president of the Seattle Education Association and a special education teacher at Rising Star Elementary School. She has not been arrested or charged.
According to Marsh, Idowu is on paid leave and remains union president.
A statutory referral was filed with the King County Prosecuting Attorney's Office in May. Statutory referrals are sent to law enforcement from mandatory reporters - such as counselors or other school staff - which are then passed on to the attorney's office, regardless of whether there is evidence a crime has been committed. Prosecutors must still decide whether they have enough evidence to charge a crime.
Idowu said she cannot comment while the case is ongoing.
Seattle Public Schools says it "takes allegations involving harm to a student very seriously." The district said the employee is entitled to due process, and it is in the early stages of that process.
The Seattle Education Association would not comment on the issue.
The investigation into Idowu began after Marsh and the boy's mother, Olla Ibrahim, raised concerns over possible physical harm in December of 2025.
"Finger-mark" bruises were observed on the student's arm, according to an email sent to Rising Star Principal Huyen Lam and forwarded to Misa Garmoe, Seattle Public Schools executive director of employee & association relations.
Ibrahim said she saw "very clear bruise marks that look exactly like fingers and a thumb wrapped around on the other side" of his arm. Her son told her he was hurt by an adult and specifically named Idowu.
These allegations and others were investigated by Seattle Public Schools HR Investigator Jason Dahlberg. Dahlberg released a 14-page report dated June 17. During the investigation, Idowu denied the allegations. It was found that evidence indicated that, "more likely than not," she did grab the student in December, which caused bruising.
Generally, it was found the teacher would yell at students and they would "flinch" when she walked by them in class, according to the investigation. She denied this, but two witnesses corroborated it.
The district will forward the investigation to HR management.
For Ibrahim and Marsh, the investigation doesn't capture the full scope of concerns. They are now calling on school leaders to act.
"We are also deeply disturbed by the actions of the union and union members who continue to sweep this under the rug and hide it from the public view," Marsh told KING 5, adding he cannot trust the current system to take care of his child.