Arias Sanguinetti secured a groundbreaking $9.95 million settlement for J.W., a young, non-verbal autistic child who was subjected to shocking abuse at a Clark County school. This was the largest settlement Clark County School District (CCSD) ever agreed to for a case involving abuse of a single disabled child, and it marked a major victory in the fight for justice for children who are failed by the institutions meant to educate and protect them.
Our team of Las Vegas School Abuse lawyers, led by Gregg A. Hubley and Christopher A.J. Swift, is proud to represent minors who have been abused at schools across Nevada. Abuse at school is a profound injustice and we take pride in our work to bring these families the justice they deserve – contact us today. We are also proud of our record of holding school systems accountable when they have attempted to cover-up or conceal abuse.
What Happened to Our Client?
J.W. attended Harley Harmon Elementary School in the Las Vegas area from 2016 to 2018. In 2017, his parents noticed troubling signs of neglect. He would come home in soiled diapers and appeared to have not been fed, despite his parents’ diligent efforts to pack food and water for him each day. The school staff ignored the family’s complaints, offering excuses and eventually insulting J.W.’s parents. The family withdrew him from school weeks before the school year was scheduled to end.
In the following school year, J.W.’s parents decided to re-enroll him with hopes for a fresh start with a new teacher. J.W., however, started coming home with bruises on his body, but each time his parents asked the staff about them, they were told the same story – that he had fallen on the playground. J.W.’s other behavior patterns also noticeably changed.
What Was the Abuse J.W. Endured?
Near the end of the school year, a substitute aide was assigned to the class. Just 3 days of observation was enough for this aide to notice and report abuse that J.W. had been unable to communicate because his disability makes him non-verbal. The substitute aide prepared a written report claiming that J.W.’s teacher physically and verbally abused him, yelled at him, and degraded him. The report claimed that J.W.’s regular teacher beat him with a wooden pointer stick for putting his shoes on too slowly. The teacher hit him so hard that the stick broke across his ankles. The report also details that the teacher wedged him into a tight space to punish him and forced him to lay at her feet under her desk.
How Did the School Address the Abuse?
Although the substitute aide immediately reported the abuse to the school’s principal, CCSD officials, and Child Protective Services (CPS), J.W.’s parents were only told about the one incident involving the pointer stick. The school left out all the other horrific examples of his teacher’s abusive behavior. Worse yet, the full report from the substitute aide was hidden from J.W.’s family for years. The parents wouldn’t know the full extent of the abuse until they were forced to file a lawsuit and the federal court ordered CCSD to provide the report.
J.W.’s family was misled and dismissed at every turn. The school district failed to protect their son, covered up the abuse, and refused to take accountability. The lawsuit filed by Arias Sanguinetti wasn’t just about getting answers – it was about holding CCSD responsible for its failures and seeking justice for J.W.
As our team of Las Vegas school abuse lawyers investigated the case, it became clear that the abuse went beyond what was initially reported. J.W.’s teacher had also been using a makeshift “time-out” area, illegally confining J.W. and other students between two closets without their parents’ knowledge. She violated school policy and state law, and yet, no proper corrective action was taken by the district; she was allowed to resign and collect her pension and was never subjected to any disciplinary action..
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How Did the Legal Process Unfold?
Before filing the lawsuit, our team of Las Vegas child abuse lawyers worked with J.W.’s family to exhaust all administrative remedies under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), which governs how schools must treat students with disabilities. During this process, CCSD was forced to admit that they had failed J.W. on multiple fronts – depriving him of food and water, failing to properly train their staff, and allowing corporal punishment to occur. Yet, even after these admissions, the district continued to drag its feet and downplay its role in J.W.’s suffering.
Our team of Las Vegas school abuse lawyers pushed the case forward, exposing the district’s deep-rooted negligence. We demonstrated that CCSD had failed to act on the abuse and actively concealed key evidence from J.W.’s family. After years of advocating on J.W.’s behalf, we secured a $9.95 million settlement – the largest in Clark County School District’s history for one child.
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What is the Significance of this Settlement?
Schools and school districts must be held accountable when they fail to protect the children in their care, especially those with disabilities. It goes without saying that no disabled child should be abused by their teacher. Likewise, no family should have to go through what J.W.’s family endured – facing abuse, deception, and stonewalling from the very institutions that are supposed to care for their children. This settlement is crucial accountability for CCSD and will ideally contribute to increased accountability measures in the future.
For J.W. and his family, this settlement represents long-overdue justice. While no amount of money can undo the trauma, this victory ensures that J.W. will receive the care and support he needs going forward, and it holds CCSD responsible for its gross negligence.
How Can Arias Sanguinetti Help Those Who Have Suffered School Abuse?
At Arias Sanguinetti, our team of Las Vegas, NV school abuse lawyers take pride in fighting for families whose children have been harmed by negligence, abuse, or misconduct in schools. We bring experience in approaching the legal complexities involved in these cases, especially when dealing with children with disabilities, and we have the experience and resources to stand up to powerful institutions like school districts.
If you suspect your child has been mistreated or abused at school, don’t wait. The sooner you take action, the better chance you have of uncovering the truth and securing justice. Our team has won countless awards for our advocacy – contact our team of Las Vegas school abuse lawyers today to learn how we can help you hold those responsible accountable.
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