Rights advocates filed a class-action lawsuit against Louisiana school officials for repeatedly handcuffing and shackling a 6-year-old boy, attorneys for the advocates said Thursday.
A legal team representing the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana and the child's parents filed the civil-action complaint Thursday at a federal court in Louisiana. It was filed on behalf of children in the Louisiana Recovery School District, including the child, now 7 years old, who they say was handcuffed and shackled for "minor offenses."
The school district is a statewide entity administered by the Louisiana Department of Education to manage underperforming schools. Named in the lawsuit are the superintendent of the school district, Paul Vallas, along with school officials and security officers of Sarah T. Reed Elementary School.
Ken Jones, director of communications for the school district, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in an e-mail to CNN, "The Louisiana Recovery School District investigated the allegations involving a student at Sarah T. Reed Elementary school last semester. The RSD concluded that this was an isolated incident, the student was not arrested and the employee involved was terminated."
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Post by: By The CNN Wire staff
Filed under: Human rights • Justice • Latest news • Louisiana
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Rights advocates filed a class-action lawsuit against Louisiana school officials for repeatedly handcuffing and shackling a 6-year-old boy, attorneys for the advocates said Thursday. A legal team representing the Southern Poverty Law Center, the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana and the child's parents filed the civil-action complaint Thursday at a federal court in Louisiana. It was filed on behalf of children in the Louisiana Recovery School District, including the child, now 7 years old, who they say was handcuffed and shackled for "minor offenses." The school district is a statewide entity administered by the Louisiana Department of Education to manage underperforming schools. Named in the lawsuit are the superintendent of the school district, Paul Vallas, along with school officials and security officers of Sarah T. Reed Elementary School. Ken Jones, director of communications for the school district, declined to comment on the lawsuit, but said in an e-mail to CNN, "The Louisiana Recovery School District investigated the allegations involving a student at Sarah T. Reed Elementary school last semester. The RSD concluded that this was an isolated incident, the student was not arrested and the employee involved was terminated." FULL STORY: Post by: By The CNN Wire staff Filed under: Human rights • Justice • Latest news • Louisiana