A teacher who worked at a Springfield school for severely disabled children has been accused of repeatedly hitting a 7-year-old autistic boy, who cannot speak. She also allegedly once called the boy an “idiot.”
The suit filed in U.S. District Court alleges the boy “was struck physically and abused mentally by his teacher, while administrators had notice of a pattern of unsettling behavior by this teacher, all while failing to take effective and prompt remedial action to protect (the boy) from abuse.”
It also explains the boy, now 8, cannot speak and weighs 95 pounds. The father stated, in the document, the boy was diagnosed with autism, epilepsy and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. Records do not show the defendants have yet responded to the suit.
