The Inglewood Unified School District is being sued by a woman who says her son, a special education student, was slapped in the face and called an inappropriate name on consecutive days in March.
Quinesha Richard, the mother of Darren Brown, filed the lawsuit on behalf of herself and her son. The Los Angeles Superior Court complaint filed Friday additionally names teacher Mary Cooksey and teacher assistants Judy Kumor and Sheryl Perry. The allegations include assault, battery, false imprisonment, negligence, civil rights violations and both intentional and negligent infliction of emotional distress.
"Cooksey has a known history of violence toward children under her supervision while acting in the employ of (the) district as a teacher," the suit alleges.
"I've had to talk to my son to calm him down as far as going to school," said Richard.
The suit seeks unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.
The suit states that the boy attends Warren Lane Elementary School in Inglewood and is enrolled in the special education program due to a learning disability and a speech impairment.
On March 4, Cooksey "in response to some perceived misbehavior on the part of Mr. Brown yelled, "Get your b---- ass out of here,'" the suit alleges.
The next day Cooksey "slapped Mr. Brown across the face'' in front of other students because of "some perceived misbehavior while other students were reading,'' according to the lawsuit.
When the boy tried to leave the classroom, Cooksey "violently forced him to remain in his seat in an effort to prevent him from doing so,'' the suit alleges.
Kumor and Perry were in the classroom and did not intervene and try to assist Darren to get away from his teacher, according to the lawsuit.
The boy was eventually able to get to the administration office, but instead of contacting his mother right away, administrators held him there for about an hour, according to the lawsuit.
The boy later managed to reach his mother through his older brother and he told her his teacher slapped him, the suit states.
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"Ms. Richard arrived shortly thereafter, in complete distress over what had happened to her son and called the police,'' the suit states.
"I do believe that kids do tend to misbehave," said Richard. "But there shouldn't be a teacher hitting in no type of way."
The police report does not include a statement from Cooksey. The officer was told she had left campus with a medical injury.
Richard's son has seen Cooksey back on campus, Richard said.
"I am at a loss for words for her to still be at school teaching," said Richard. "It's like nothing happened."
During a visit to the attorney's office Monday, Richard's son demonstrated how he was struck with an open hand on the side of his face. "Hard," he said.
Inglewood Unified has yet to be served with the suit. Kristin Agostoni, a district spokeswoman, declined to comment.
