BRIDGEPORT, Conn., Sept. 17 (UPI) -- A New York couple allege in a lawsuit their son was beaten and mistreated at the American School for the Deaf in West Hartford, Conn.
In the suit filed in U.S. District Court in Bridgeport, Audley and Judith Muschette name West Hartford, two school employees and two West Hartford police officers as defendants, Courthouse News Service reported Monday.
The Muschettes say their son, identified in court papers as A.M., 12, is profoundly deaf and has been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. They described several alleged altercations at the school.
In the most serious, the lawsuit says, started when staff members were taking food orders from students and told A.M. he could not have what he wanted. A staff member allegedly ripped wires from a videophone the boy was using to communicate with his parents, who live in New York.
Police were called when A.M. ran into a construction site. The lawsuit says two West Hartford officers used a stun gun on the boy, burning him, and then threw him to the ground and handcuffed him without attempting to communicate with him.
The couple said there were later incidents, including one in which staff members falsely reported to police their son had made a suicide attempt. They say they were given an ultimatum -- to remove A.M. from the school or to agree not to communicate with him while he was there.
The lawsuit says the school, the town and the individuals involved violated the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Rehabilitation Act. The Muschettes are seeking damages.
