Kennedy Hunt P.C. represents a child with disabilities and her family who was allegedly harassed by her teachers at school for students with severe disabilities, according to the lawsuit recently filed and covered in the St. Louis Post Dispatch.
The lawsuit alleges teachers at St. Louis Public Schools verbally abused her, cursed at her, and even used racial slurs in front of her. Our client is biracial.
Per the lawsuit, our client is a 9-year-old girl with nonverbal autism and developmental delays. Her disabilities cause challenges with speaking, toileting, focusing, and staying still. She started attending Gateway Michael Elementary in 2022, where she was harassed by her teachers.
The St. Louis Post Dispatch reports:
H.G. was also called a “heifer,” “lazy as all get out,” and was told by one of the teachers “momma gonna knock you out!” One teacher said “I don’t know why she gotta come down here every day and get on my nerves,” referring to H.G., the lawsuit states.
According to the lawsuit, our client’s mother sent her to school with a recording device. She told the teachers she was going to do so, and even still they continued mistreating and abusing our client, the lawsuit alleges. By September 2023 our client’s teachers were failing to provide her with adequate instruction, which is when our client’s mother pulled her out and began homeschooling. She has not returned to in-person school since September 2023.
The lawsuit alleges the harassment at school caused our client to develop sensitivity to noise, extreme separation anxiety, fear of strangers, and an increase in frustration levels.
This case is ongoing. For more information, contact attorney Sarah Jane Hunt at sarahjane@kennedyhuntlaw.com. If you or someone you know has been a victim of human rights violations, the skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim.