Lawsuit: Stanley teacher abuses students with special needs

STANLEY, N.C. — Two families are suing a teacher and school administrators in Gaston County over alleged mistreatment of children with special needs.

A 52-page lawsuit chronicles alleged abuse of two special needs children at the hands of their teacher in Stanley last year.

One troubling point stated in the documents was that the teacher was already under surveillance by other staff members for suspicions of mistreating students.

The two students at the center of the lawsuit have Down syndrome. They were 10 and 11 years old when the abuse allegedly began.

According to attorneys representing the families, the children suffered for weeks without being able to clearly explain the situation to their families.

"Two very good-natured children lost the ability to trust. They can't articulate their feelings. They can't articulate the problem,” attorney Michael Flatow said.

According to the suit, at one point, the teacher violently pulled the 11-year-old girl's ponytail and pulled her head off of her desk, causing the girl to cry.

At another point, the lawsuit claims the teacher reportedly yanked the girl up by her pants, causing her to fall on a door jamb, and then later played a tickling game with the child, touching her in an inappropriate way.

According to the lawsuit, the 10-year-old student was aggressively pushed to the ground by his teacher.

The suit also states two teacher's aides had spoken up before about the teacher and were instructed to document things they noticed in class.

The lawsuit said those aides made claims that the teacher seemed to take pleasure in causing pain.

"It was noted by the two teaching assistants who reported the abuse,” attorney Arcangela Mazzareillo said.

The teacher was suspended twice.

Stanley police investigated, but the district attorney's office decided not to file charges.

"No one is listening. The justice system didn't work for them,” Mazzareillo said. “They had children that were physically attacked by a teacher."

The teacher no longer works for the school, but the families are pressing forward with a suit against her, the principal, the head of human resources and the school board.

"This money will go into a trust to provide for the children and all the problems they are currently having and will have in the future,” Flatow said.

The school’s spokesman didn’t immediately respond to Channel 9’s inquiry regarding the details in the lawsuit.

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