Autistic boy's parents: Protect students better

Autistic boy's parents: Protect students better

Tools

Story Published: Jan 6, 2009 at 6:24 PM PDT

Story Updated: Jan 6, 2009 at 6:37 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

Watch the story
SEATTLE -- A local couple is suing the Tukwila School District for $1.5 million, claiming the district didn't protect the couple's disabled son from bullies.

The school district admits 12-year-old John was bullied by his classmates at Showalter Middle School. His parents say the same boys continued tormenting him for a year until their son became suicidal.

"He was hit with books, he was spit on, and he was punched," said the boy's mother, Peggy. KOMO News has chosen not to use the full names of couple in order to respect their privacy.

The district says it reprimanded the bullies, but John's parents insist the abuse of the child didn't let up.

"Physical, emotional name-calling, degrading..."retard" would be the nicest thing that was said," said the boy's father, John.

The parents pulled their autistic son out of school and the district paid for him to attend a private school.

When John reached the tenth grade, the district wanted him to attend Foster High School, but he was afraid to go back to school with the students who had bullied him. The parents refused to send him there and the district took them to court for truancy.

Legal documents show psychological experts for the parents and the district both agreed that John wouldn't feel safe or thrive at Foster High.

As a result, his parents kept him at home for two years while battling the case in court. The district was ordered to pay for his education at another private school. John graduated, but his parents say he's not the same.

John suffers from post-traumatic stress disorder and his parents say he lives in fear. They're now suing the school district.

"I don't think they could have harmed this child more had they done it intentionally," said Yvonne Ward, the attorney for John's parents. "This is reckless indifference."

Jan Lande with the school district could not comment on the issue.

"This is a legal matter in the middle of litigation and something we can't discuss at this time," she said.

John's parents want damages to pay for counseling and vocational education. They also want to sent the district a clear message: protect the children better.

John's mother works as an instructional assistant for special needs children in the school district she is now suing.

Weather & Traffic

Icon
Current Temp 74.0 °F
Mostly Cloudy
More Weather

Weather & Traffic

More Weather

On Demand

Resources and info you need to prepare for the switch to DTV.

Stay Connected

YouNews

This content requires the latest Adobe Flash Player and a browser with JavaScript enabled. Click here for a free download of the latest Adobe Flash Player.

Marketplace