Mother claims her young, autistic son was abused by teacher at a school near Puyallup
An 8-year-old boy with autism was allegedly verbally and physically abused by his second-grade teacher at Pope Elementary, according to a recently filed lawsuit, which accuses the Puyallup School District of being “deliberately indifferent” to the mistreatment.
The suit filed by the boy’s mother on April 3 in Pierce County Superior Court said that, despite having special needs, the child was incorrectly placed in a general education classroom at the school, located south of Puyallup. On multiple occasions during the 2022-23 school year, the legal complaint alleged, the boy’s teacher locked him outside of the classroom, where he was left in a hallway on his own for lengthy periods, and also jerked him around by his arm and yelled at him.
In a response to an inquiry from The News Tribune about whether the district wished to comment on the allegations or had investigated the claims, district spokesperson Sarah Gillispie said the district could not address specifics.
“The District recognizes that the allegations set forth in the lawsuit touch upon sensitive subjects for all of the involved individuals, as well as the community, but we are unable to offer any further comment on the lawsuit or the specific allegations contained in the lawsuit at this time,” Gillispie said in an email. “As this matter proceeds through the litigation process, the District will remain committed to providing a safe and positive educational experience for all of its students.”
As a result of the alleged abuse, the boy’s behavior at home deteriorated, according to the lawsuit. The child, who reportedly struggles with verbally expressing himself, screamed and cried when picked up from school for several straight days in October 2022 and referenced his teacher while saying, “my arm, my arm,” the legal filing said.
That same month, the boy began to wet his bed, throw and break things in his home, lashed out at others, expressed not wanting to go to school and suffered bad diarrhea, headaches and stomach pains, according to the lawsuit. He also reportedly later demonstrated to his mother how his teacher had pulled on his arm and grabbed and screamed at him.
“(The boy’s) mother...was in constant communication with the school, repeatedly articulating her concerns of the safety and wellbeing of her son in (his teacher’s) classroom,” the legal complaint said. “Despite these repeated pleas to the school to do something about what was occurring to her son, the school chose to do nothing.”
The teacher had been the subject of a previous complaint for allegedly being aggressive with another student who had behavioral needs, according to the lawsuit, citing as evidence an internal email from Pope Elementary principal Allison Hargroves that the plaintiff’s legal counsel obtained through a public records request.
The lawsuit, which is suing the district for negligence and discrimination, also alleged that the boy was subjected to “repeated mental, verbal and physical abuse and intimidation by several staff members” at the school. The suit is seeking unspecified damages to be proven at trial and legal fees.
In an interview, attorney Dalia Ibrahim, who is representing the mother of the boy, said the district “set him up for failure from the beginning,” referring to his placement in a general education classroom without the support he needed. Upon noticing his behavior change and realizing something had occurred, the child’s parents reached out multiple times to the school with concerns, including asking for their son to be removed from the class, according to Ibrahim.
“They’re met with this shrug, almost like they’re being brushed off,” she said.
