Tort Alleges IPS Teacher Repeatedly Abused Autistic Student
INDIANAPOLIS — Lawyers representing a 5-year-old autistic student in Indianapolis Public Schools and their parent said they intend to sue the district over claims that a special education teacher abused the child.
On Monday, attorneys from Connell Michael LLP and Metzger Rostaon announced a tort claim had been filed. They accuse a teacher at URBAN ACT Academy at Washington Irving School 14 of physically and verbally abusing the kindergartener, who is also nonverbal. The school is located at 1250 E. Market St., near the I-65/I-70 interchange for Washington Street in downtown Indianapolis.
The parent of the student stated that they began to notice a change in their child’s behavior in August. Then, in October, the parent was notified by the Indiana Department of Child Services about an open assault case involving the young boy.
According to the attorneys, there were multiple incidents of abuse involving the teacher and the student that happened in August, September, and October. They also say there were witnesses to the abuse and one of the incidents was caught on camera.
One of the reported incidents in question involves the teacher pushing the student to the ground, causing them to hit their head on the ground. The tort also indicates that on different occasions, the teacher had picked the student up and dropped them on the floor, dragged them across the floor, and trapped them in a closet multiple times.
Another incident mentioned in the tort involved the teacher repeatedly snapping a hair tie against the child’s head.
The attorneys claim that IPS failed to notify the parent of the abuse. They believe that IPS is negligent for the harm the student suffered and are seeking $700,000 in damages per reported incident.
