A shocking incident rocked a Rochester, New York, city school when an 11-year-old girl was allegedly abused by her teacher and girls’ basketball coach, Johnnie Mathis, on October 8, 2025.
The tall and heavy man, standing over 6 feet and weighing more than 200 pounds, is said to have grabbed the small girl by her arms and slammed her into a chair, causing her head to hit the desk hard.
This left her with a deep gash on her scalp, fingerprint bruises on her arms, and painful marks with dried blood down her back.
Her Aunt, Kay Mari, Shared Disturbing Photos of Wounds on Facebook, Igniting Outrage and Debate
The incident happened at School 50, where Mathis works with kids every day.
The girl, who is just 4’6″ tall and weighs about 90 pounds, loves school and almost never gets in trouble.
That day, she was sent to in-school suspension for talking and not paying attention during a substitute teacher’s class.
As she walked in, Mathis started picking on her, saying mean things like “I bet you’re just like your sister” and “I bet she gets her behavior from you” because her 6-year-old sister had misbehaved the week before.
Her mom had already told Mathis to stop saying that to the younger girl and even complained to the principal, who agreed it was wrong.
Feeling scared, the girl kept asking to call her mom, but Mathis refused each time and ordered her to sit down.
When she wouldn’t stop asking, he threatened to make her sit and warned her he would cause her a lot of pain, saying he didn’t care if he lost his job.
Then he grabbed her arms tightly and shoved her into the chair, and her head smashed into the desk. Blood poured out, so much that the school made her change her shirt.
She later told her aunt,
“I kinda passed out. I felt like I couldn’t breathe, and my body was broken,”
Via Facebook
This shows how terrified and hurt she was.
Doctors at the emergency room treated her head wound with medical glue called Dermabond instead of staples, as noted in the discharge papers Kay Mari shared.
They instructed the family to keep the area clean and dry, and advised that the glue should fall off within 7 to 10 days, with a follow-up visit to the pediatrician scheduled for a week later.
Her vital signs showed she was stable, with a normal temperature of 98.8°F, 99% oxygen saturation, and her weight at 90 pounds 6 ounces, but she got ibuprofen for the pain in her head and back.
The school’s response initially made things worse.
They tried to say she bumped her head by accident, but after the mom asked questions, they admitted what happened and opened a Child Protective Services case against Mathis.
The school district’s policy on child abuse, also shared in the photos, says staff must report any non-accidental harm, like what happened here.
The nurse’s report from 11:30 a.m. marked it as a “hit head” in the classroom and suggested urgent care, but it initially seemed to downplay the incident.
A later visit summary confirmed the head injury and back pain, which were treated that afternoon at 2:41 p.m.
Principal Lakisha Taylor sent a letter the same day, notifying the family of the abuse allegation and promising an investigation. However, the school took over an hour to call the mother, not until 12:39 p.m.
Kay Mari believes Mathis shouldn’t work with kids if he can’t control his temper, a sentiment many share.
Kay Mari’s Post had Spread Across Facebook, and People Reacted with a Mix of Anger and Doubt
Many were furious, calling for Mathis to be removed from his roles, while others defended him, saying they know him as a good coach.
Princess Santos, a 27-year-old who says Mathis coached her since she was 13, wrote,
“LET MAKE SURE WE TALKING FACTS WHEN I FATHER FIGURE OF MINE IS BROUGHT UP! AINT NO WAY HE DID THIS… ANY MATHIS SLANDER WILL NOT BE TAKEN. I STAND WITH MATHIS IDGAF. BYE AND YOU THE AUNTIE WHERE THE MOMMA AT?!”
Via Facebook
Nana Rose added,
“Yea not saying she lying or nothing but… he was always cool asf and strict but never hands on ngl,”
Via Facebook
recalling her own time at School 50. Meanwhile, Miah Simmons-Skoob pointed out,
“Everybody keep saying yall know him and he would never. At the end of the day NONE of us were there to say anything,”
Via Facebook
urging caution without all the facts.
This NY school girls’ basketball coach abuse case has turned into a community flashpoint, raising big questions about safety in schools, especially for young girls under coaches who should protect them.
With CPS investigating and opinions split, the girl is healing with glued stitches while her family waits for justice.
The delay in notifying her mom and the initial cover-up attempt highlight the need for better school policies in Rochester and across New York.
This isn’t just about one incident; it’s a call to ensure kids feel safe, not scared, in their classrooms and on the court.
What happens next could shape how schools handle such cases moving forward.
In Case You Didn’t Know
- Mathis is also a Youth Leadership Specialist at ProsperRochester, Inc.
- He is a youth mentor, educator, and coach with more than 17 years of professional experience.
Wouldn’t the school nurse have been obliged to call the police if the child had shown up in her office with those injuries if they were sustained outside school, say at home? This was an assault regardless of the individual’s previous behavior. There is no excuse for any adult ever engaging in that type of action. Thank goodness the injuries were not more serious. This report does not indicate any law enforcement involvement (no arrest). CSP investigations take time. The safety of school staff and students is paramount in this environment. If policy dictates the steps taken, they should be changed