Lawsuit: Readington school aides failed to report abuse by teacher

by Ralph R. Ortega/The Star-Ledger
Wednesday March 05, 2008, 5:41 PM

Paraprofessionals and school aides failed to report the alleged physical and emotional abuse of special needs children by a teacher at a Hunterdon County school over a two-year period, according to a lawsuit filed by parents of one of the students.

According to the lawsuit, the child was struck, grabbed, pushed, pinched, restrained, assaulted, battered and locked in a bathroom while attending a morning preschool autism class at the Readington School District during the 2004 and 2005 academic years.

The teacher accused of causing the abuse resigned after the problem was eventually reported to the administration of the Three Bridges School, according to the suit.

The suit, filed Tuesday at the Hunterdon County Courthouse in Flemington, does not detail how many children were allegedly abused. The suit claimed paraprofessionals and school aides witnessed the alleged abuse over the two-year period and failed to report it because they had not been trained on how to do so.

Readington Superintendent Jorden Schiff said a reporting system is now in place, but declined to comment specifically on the suit.

State regulations require that child abuse be reported to the Division of Youth and Family Services. Lisa Eastwood, an attorney for the parents who filed the suit, said a complaint against the teacher was made with DYFS after the alleged abuses were reported, but that finding of abuse was reversed on Friday.

The parents who filed the suit still maintain there was abuse, Eastwood said.

Read more in Thursday's Star-Ledger.