The family of a student who is both deaf and blind is suing two Indiana schools, alleging their 16-year-old suffered "horrific abuse" at the hands of staff.
The complaint claims that staff at Ben Davis High School and Chapel Hill 7th & 8th Grade Center left the student alone and unattended, deprived the student of food, and ignored his medical needs, according to WISH-TV.
In addition to allegedly neglecting the child, the lawsuit accuses the schools of failing to provide the student with the one-on-one education required under his individualized education plan.
Catherine Michael, an attorney representing the family for Connell Michael LLP, called the alleged abuse "one of the most egregious cases I think we've ever seen when we look, over time, at what this child has been denied."
Tammy Meyer, another attorney with Metzger Rosta LLP, who is also representing the family, said the student is nonverbal and would act out — such as taking his clothes off — to try to get attention from staff. She claims the staff ignored the child's attempts to get food or attention.
“They were taking food away from him to the point where he lost several pounds in a week just because of that,” Meyer said. “And then on top of that, they start filming him—multiple staff members filming him on their personal cellphones while he’s naked. I can’t think of a more horrific abuse than what we’re seeing here.”
According to the attorneys, the student's mother became suspicious that something was wrong after the child began expressing fear before heading to school.
Michael said that the schools have exhibited a "history of educational neglect" in their treatment of the student.
“That means that they’re not teaching this child what they should’ve been teaching him, not teaching him how to communicate, not teaching the functional skills—and that goes back more than two or three years.”
The school district offered the following statement in response to the lawsuit:
“If the family is willing to execute a full release of information that allows the district to discuss the circumstances surrounding these allegations, we would welcome the opportunity to provide our account and the relevant facts of this case. We remain committed to the safety, dignity, and education of all students in our care.”
The lawsuit is seeking damages for the alleged physical, emotional, and psychological trauma the student and his mother experienced.
According to the family's attorneys, the student has been pulled from the school district and has likely passed the window to develop certain social and communication skills relative to his disabilities.
The Independent has requested comment from the school district.
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