Nathan Reilly (Supplied photo)
BENNINGTON, Vt. -- A lawsuit has been filed against the Bennington School District over an incident last year when an audio recording revealed an 8-year-old boy with autism was called "a dumbass kid with autism," secluded in a room at school, and told to clean his urine from the floor, allegedly by school employees.
The suit names Southwest Vermont Supervisory Union, Bennington School District, former special education director Kathy Buck, and para-educators Clayton Buck and Laurie Connell as defendants. Clayton Buck is Kathy Buck's son.
Suing them is Joan Reilly, mother of Nathan Reilly, now 10, who was a student at Bennington Elementary School during the 2012-2013 school year. The suit was filed on their behalf by Bennington-based Winburn Law Offices in Vermont Superior Court Bennington Civil Unit.
Kathy Buck announced her retirement in June 2013. Clayton Buck and Connell are not listed as employees on the SVSU's website.
According to the complaint, Clayton Buck and Laurie Connell worked as para-educators providing services and supervision to Nathan Reilly. Nathan has received special education since he was 3 and was diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder in 2007.
The complaint alleges that Nathan began to display behavioral problems during the 2012-13 school year and claims the treatment he received from para-educators Buck and Connell created the problems and caused them to get worse.
The suit says para-educators Buck and Connell made derogatory comments toward Nathan, deprived of bathroom breaks, left him unattended, and manhandled him.
The complaint, filed in April by attorney Patrick Winburn, claims negligent infliction of emotional distress, and intentional infliction of emotional distress against Clayton Buck and Connell. It also claims the school system and Kathy Buck are responsible because they hired Clayton Buck and Connell and were in charge of supervising the para-educators.
Per the lawsuit, their actions caused lasting harm to Nathan. As is common in Vermont civil cases, no specific damage amount was requested.
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Vermont school, educators sued over treatment of boy with autism