Louisiana School Officials Sued for Handcuffing 1st Grader
NEW ORLEANS—A class-action lawsuit has been filed against Louisiana Recovery School District (RSD) officials for allegedly repeatedly handcuffing and shackling a 6-year-old boy.
A legal team representing the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), the Juvenile Justice Project of Louisiana, and the boy’s parents—Sebastian and Robin Weston—filed the complaint July 8 on behalf of RSD students. The defendants include the principal at Sarah T. Reed Elementary school, the RSD security director, the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education, former New Orleans Police Department Chief Eddie Compass and two security officers allegedly involved in the incident.
The lawsuit claims that a security officer chained the boy by his ankle to a chair on May 4 for allegedly failing to follow his teacher’s instructions. Two days later, another officer handcuffed and shackled the boy to a chair inside the principal’s office for being involved in a shoving match with another student, reports CNN.
Additionally, the lawsuit states that the school’s principal, Daphyne Burnette, defended the school’s actions during a conversation with the Westons, stating that it was the school’s policy to handcuff unruly students who refused to calm down.
RSD officials said one of the security officers involved in the incident has been fired.
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