A lady is looking for civil damages from a college system in Pennsylvania that she claims is chargeable for extreme bodily and emotional abuse that her son suffered from in his particular wants classroom at his elementary faculty.
The lawsuit, filed on Jan. 13 towards the Greensburg Salem Faculty District, alleges that the 8-year-old boy was “repeatedly and horrifically assaulted and subjected to abuse” dedicated by employees members from September 2023 by means of November 2023 whereas he was a pupil at Robert F. Properly Elementary Faculty, based on the grievance cited by Regulation and Crime.
The grievance states that the boy, who has autism and attention-deficit/hyperactivity dysfunction (ADHD), had been tightly restrained on a number of events, together with in a single occasion through which he was allegedly wrapped in a soundproofing mat so tightly that he couldn’t transfer his arms. The go well with additionally states that the kid was abused, belittled, and intimidated by school members.
The kid was additionally compelled to witness employees members verbally and bodily abuse his classmates on different events the place they allegedly had “noxious substances” sprayed into their mouths, based on the grievance. The boy suffered behavioral modifications as a result of these occasions and was later identified with trauma and stress dysfunction.
The lawsuit mentioned the classroom was “akin to a jail setting.”
When the kid’s mom reported her son’s behavioral modifications and her considerations about attainable in-class mistreatment to the principal, the varsity by no means investigated and took no motion, the go well with states.
It wasn’t till somebody reported the alleged abuse to baby protecting providers and legislation enforcement that school members have been faraway from the classroom, a few of whom now face legal fees.
Particular training instructor Brooke Stanko, 35, and the aide who labored in her classroom, 59-year-old Teri Kepchia, have been arrested in December 2023 after being accused of spraying soapy water and lemon juice into the mouth of 1 baby and restraining two others with soundproofing mats. The victims have been ages 8, 7, and 6.
Stanko and Kepchia have been charged with conspiracy, baby endangerment, false imprisonment, easy assault, and failure to report.
After the arrests, the mom of 1 sufferer advised KDKA that she seen her son behave in a different way through the time the incidents happened.
“It began to the place I couldn’t even get him on the bus,” she mentioned. “By the point I received him out the door, he would vomit on himself being so upset.”
The boy’s father mentioned: “I take a look at this and I can solely image a monster. Who would damage a special-needs baby?”
Six months after Stanko’s and Kepchia’s arrests, 4 contracted workers who labored on the faculty have been additionally charged in connection to the incidents.
Amanda Lehman, 40, Derek James Hines, 38, Lorraine F. Robertson, 75, and Lauren Byrne-Houser, 39, have been all charged with baby endangerment and failure to report. All 4 folks have been employed to work at Properly by means of a third-party instructional staffing service.
Hines, a substitute instructor, and Lehman, an aide, advised investigators they witnessed when Stanko and Kepchia sprayed soapy water and lemon juice into one baby’s mouth and wrapped the opposite youngsters into mats, based on TribLive.com.
Byrne-Houser admitted to detectives that she helped restrain youngsters utilizing the mats.
The newly filed lawsuit alleges discrimination, denial of advantages, in addition to violations of the Individuals with Disabilities Act and the boy’s rights. The plaintiffs search $150,000 in damages.
In response to the go well with, Greensburg Salem Superintendent Kenneth Bissell acknowledged, “We’re within the strategy of reviewing the grievance with our attorneys and might be making ready an applicable response thereto.”
No additional remark has been launched by the district but.
On the time of Stanko’s and Kepchia’s arrests, Bissell despatched a letter to the mother and father and college members throughout the district stating, “We’re saddened that the actions and inactions inside a classroom of kids with probably the most important help wants violated the protection wants of kids and broke the belief for a loving, caring and respectful surroundings.”
