Parents of students with disabilities have filed a lawsuit against the Sumner County, Tenn., board of education, and a special education teacher who is charged with child abuse, the Associated Press reports.
Donna Weidenbenner, a teacher at Station Camp Elementary, was suspended without pay in April after allegations were made against her, the story said. She was arrested and charged with three counts of child abuse in August following an investigation by the Gallatin Police Department, the story said.
The lawsuit accuses Weidenbenner of abuse, including improper restraint, and force-feeding the children to the point of vomiting. The lawsuit claims the school board “failed to adequately and properly train” its teachers in “use of force” and proper restraint, the story said.
The improper use of seclusion and restraint has been the topic of Congressional hearings and of a Government Accounting Office report in May. The subject is expected to come up as part of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act reauthorization.
