A lawsuit filed in federal court alleges that an employee of a rural Kansas school district mistreated a teenager with Down syndrome, including shoving him into a utility closet, hitting him, and taking a photo of him locked in a cage used for athletic equipment. The lawsuit claims that the paraprofessional sent the photo to staff, comparing the teenager to an animal and engaging in discriminatory behavior.

The lawsuit, filed by the teenager’s parents, states that the paraprofessional did not have a key to the cage and had to seek help to release the boy, who remains unidentified in the complaint. It is unclear how long the teenager was kept locked in the cage.

The legal action names the paraprofessional, other special education staff, and the Kaw Valley school district, located in St. Marys, around 30 miles northwest of Topeka and with an enrollment of approximately 1,100 students. The district has not yet provided a response to the lawsuit.

According to the lawsuit, the mistreatment of the teenager was unjustified and related to behaviors arising from his disability, rather than any significant behavioral issues. The paraprofessional is further accused of using derogatory language, physically assaulting the teenager, leaving him in soiled clothing, withholding food, and verbally abusing him.

Despite concerns raised by some staff members to the special education teacher and the district’s special education director, no intervention was made, as per the lawsuit. Allegedly, the treatment of the teenager was rationalized as “tough love” to manage his behavior.

Additionally, the lawsuit states that the director instructed subordinates not to report concerns to the state child welfare agency. However, when the teenager’s parents reported the mistreatment, a district employee eventually raised the issue with the agency regarding potential abuse and neglect.

As of now, there are no criminal charges or disciplinary actions documented for the paraprofessional or other staff involved. The lawsuit highlights a deterioration in the teenager’s behavior, with him now fearful to leave his home, having stopped speaking, and engaging in self-harm by punching himself in the head.