A 17-year-old student with a disability was chased, forced to the ground, restrained, and arrested at school.
It was preventable.
“When you send your child to school, you expect them to be safe—not for something like this to happen.”
— Tireese Winfield
From Classroom to Crisis
A Prince William County mother is seeking reforms to school policing practices after her daughter, a student with a disability, was restrained, handcuffed, and arrested during a disciplinary incident at Potomac High School.
According to petitions filed by The Legal Aid Justice Center (LAJC), the incident began over a cell phone before escalating into a law enforcement response. The student was reportedly chased down a hallway, pinned against a wall, restrained on the ground, and placed in hand and leg restraints.
The student’s mother, Tireese Winfield, says school staff failed to appropriately respond to her daughter’s disability-related needs before involving a School Resource Officer. Represented by LAJC, she is now seeking accountability, the release of school surveillance videos connected to the incident, and changes to School Resource Officer policies in Prince William County Public Schools.
The advocacy effort also aims to gather stories from other families who have experienced school policing, restraint, disability-related mistreatment, or other harmful interactions in local schools. Information shared by community members will help support ongoing efforts to strengthen protections for students with disabilities and promote de-escalation-centered approaches in schools.
Watch the full interview with Ms. Winfield below to hear directly from her about why she is speaking out.
We’re advocating for safer, more supportive schools for students with disabilities and pushing for accountability and change.
If your child has experienced harm or mistreatment at school, we invite you to share your story and join our upcoming community listening session.
Your experience can help expose harm, strengthen protections, and prevent it from happening again.
LAJC is inviting students, parents, educators, and community members to share experiences with school policing, School Resource Officers, physical restraint, disability-related incidents, and other law enforcement interactions in Prince William County schools. Information gathered will support advocacy efforts to improve protections for students with disabilities and reform school policing policies. The listening session will take place on Wednesday, July 15, 2026, from 5:30 to 7:30 PM in the Central Library Community Room at the Prince William County Central Library, located at 8601 Mathis Avenue, Manassas, VA 20110.
