On November 15, 2025, Kennedy Hunt P.C. filed a lawsuit against the Special School District of St. Louis County in the Circuit Court of St. Louis County, alleging disability discrimination and retaliation in violation of the Missouri Human Rights Act.
According to the lawsuit, our client worked as a special education resource teacher at Cross Keys Middle School in Florissant, Missouri, from July 2020 to about May 2024. Our client has disabilities for which he requires a service dog.
The lawsuit alleges that starting in fall 2022, one or more staff members harassed our client because of his disability. Some of the allegations include staff members intentionally used accessible parking spaces to keep our client from using them; one staff member told people at the school our client was ‘crazy’ and not to talk to him; two staff members stated and/or intimated that our client was pretending, was not disabled, and/or was not a veteran.
According to the lawsuit, our client repeatedly reported that certain staff members were following him around the building, questioning his schedule and role, and making disparaging comments about his disabilities and military service.
The lawsuit alleges that despite his repeated reports, the District took no effective action to stop the harassment. The lawsuit claims that in Spring 2023, our client was told to stop complaining about employees.
In May 2023, the Athletic Director and a gym teacher allegedly complained about our client’s service dog, stating it was not a ‘real’ service dog and that our client was not disabled. Our client then provided documentation of the dog’s service dog-in-training status to the school and requested, as a reasonable accommodation, that his dog remain with him at the school as a service dog. Around that time, the school district approved our client’s accommodation request.
According to the lawsuit, from May to August 2023, our client reported experiencing harassment related to his service dog, as others repeatedly questioned his need for the dog and blocked his access to certain areas, citing false concerns about allergies and hygiene.
In August 2023, new administrators at the school allegedly began restricting our client’s access to bring his service dog to school, citing the alleged staff and student allergies. Our client allegedly informed school administrators that this violated the ADA, but according to the lawsuit, they told our client the dog could not return.
According to the lawsuit, between September and November 2023, our client continued to complain about the ongoing harassment and retaliation.
The lawsuit alleges that in November 2023, following our client’s renewed complaint of harassment, the school district suspended our client. In March 2024, the school district informed our client that they would not renew his contract for the next school year.
The lawsuit seeks lost wages and benefits, emotional distress, punitive damages, attorneys’ fees, and costs of litigation.
This case is ongoing. You can read the lawsuit here. An exhibit in the lawsuit is viewable here.
For more information, contact managing attorney Nicole Matlock at nmatlock@kennedyhuntlaw.com. If you or someone you know has been a victim of disability discrimination, our skilled attorneys at Kennedy Hunt, P.C. may be able to help you. Fill out a questionnaire so we can understand your claim.