A lawsuit filed by the parent of a special education student accuses a Daisy Elementary School paraprofessional in Horry County, South Carolina, of physical abuse. The complaint details that the employee grabbed, squeezed, and shook the autistic student, screamed in their face, and on a prior occasion, inappropriately restrained the child by placing their feet on the student's feet.
Horry County Schools (HCS) spokeswoman Lisa Bourcier declined to comment on the lawsuit or any disciplinary actions taken. The student's attorney, Natalie Stevens-Graziani, stated that the incident was reported to law enforcement, though no arrest has been made yet.
This case is not isolated. The lawsuit highlights a concerning pattern of abuse allegations against HCS related to special education students. The article cites several examples:
The ongoing legal proceedings and the history of similar allegations raise serious concerns about the safety and well-being of special education students within the Horry County Schools system.
An Horry County Schools employee physically abused a special education student last month, according to a lawsuit filed by the student’s parent.
The Daisy Elementary School paraprofessional about April 9 grabbed, squeezed and shook the student, who is diagnosed with autism, before putting his face close to the child’s face and loudly screaming, the complaint states.
A witness reported the abuse to an administrator, but the student was left in the care of the abusive employee, who is not named in the complaint, for the rest of the school day without intervention or care, according to the suit.
Lisa Bourcier, a spokeswoman for HCS declined to comment on the lawsuit or answer whether the referenced employee has faced any disciplinary action.
Natalie Stevens-Graziani, an attorney representing the student, told The Sun News that the employee’s actions were reported to law enforcement. No arrest has been made, as of Thursday afternoon.
The complaint notes that this same employee during an earlier date put his feet on top of the student’s feet to restrain their movement, an inappropriate restraint method that was also reported to school administrators, who failed to act.
HCS has faced numerous allegations in recent years related to the abuse of special education students.
A former Ocean Bay Elementary special education teacher pled guilty in 2023 to child neglect charges after being accused of hitting students and rubbing hand sanitizer on a student’s open wound.
Another former special education teacher from St. James Intermediate School was arrested in 2023 and charged with cruelty to children after allegedly pinning down a student and sitting on their legs. That charge remains pending, according to online court records.
More than a dozen lawsuits have been filed since 2018 against HCS alleging damages suffered by students receiving special education services, according to a previous Sun News review.
If you often open multiple tabs and struggle to keep track of them, Tabs Reminder is the solution you need. Tabs Reminder lets you set reminders for tabs so you can close them and get notified about them later. Never lose track of important tabs again with Tabs Reminder!
Try our Chrome extension today!
Share this article with your
friends and colleagues.
Earn points from views and
referrals who sign up.
Learn more