ADA suit says school district fails children living with violence, loss and poverty
A federal lawsuit filed in Los Angeles claims the Compton school district is violating federal law by failing to provide services to children exposed to persistent violence, family hardship and poverty.
The suit (PDF) claims violations of the federal Rehabilitation Act and Americans With Disabilities Act, report Courthouse News Service, the Huffington Post and the Los Angeles Times. A press release is here.
Rather than addressing the needs of children affected by complex trauma, the school district takes a punitive and counterproductive approach that includes suspensions, expulsions and referrals to law enforcement, the suit says.
One of the plaintiffs, 17-year-old Peter, was sexually and physically abused by his mother’s boyfriends, was placed in foster care, saw his best friend killed in a shooting, and was stabbed when he came to the aid of another friend, the suit says. When he was homeless in March and April 2015, he slept on the roof of the high school cafeteria. He has been suspended from school and threatened with police involvement if he persists in trying to return, according to the lawsuit.
The suit was filed on behalf of five students and three Compton teachers by Public Counsel and Irell & Manella.
