Special Needs Students | Dolan Law Firm

Student Abuse: What Initial Steps To Take If Your Child Was Abused At School

student abuse lawyer, attorney in special needs students neglect lawsuits

Shauna writes: “Dear Christopher – I am a mother of a 12-year-old little girl, who just completed her first year of middle school, and a 10-year-old boy. Recently, my daughter started waking up in the middle of the night, crying from nightmares. She also seemed to be more withdrawn and argumentative with the family. When it started, I thought perhaps it was because she was entering puberty. After three weeks of this behavior, and my husband and I not being able to figure out what was causing it, we took her to a counselor. After a month of counseling sessions, my daughter said that an adult had ‘touched her’ and made her ‘feel dirty.’

This has been, and continues to be, my family’s worse nightmare. My child was in middle school and not involved in outside activities where she would be around adults unsupervised. The only babysitter I have allowed around her is my mother and mother-in-law. She doesn’t even go to neighbors’ houses to play. As a mom, I still follow my daughter into restrooms in public places.

My husband and I believe this may have happened at the end of the school year, with a teacher or an adult on campus. However, she is not at a point in therapy where she wants to give many details about this at all. What do we do about reporting this and finding out some answers? I don’t want her to hurt even more from this all.”

Father Of Developmentally Disabled Student Files Suit Against Training Center For Alleged Negligent Supervision Resulting In Sexual Assault Of Son

student abuse lawyer, attorney in special needs students neglect lawsuits

San Francisco, CA – June 27, 2017 – Christopher B. Dolan, founder and Chief Legal Counsel at the Dolan Law Firm, PC, announced that a complaint has been filed against the Central Valley Training Center located in Fresno, California, for the sexual assault of a student at the facility by another unsupervised student. The complaint alleges that the center, a daycare provider for adults with developmental disabilities, was negligent in its duty to ensure the safety of the son of A.K., the father who filed the complaint and whose name has been abbreviated to protect the identity of his son. The complaint further alleges that the center failed to safeguard the son from foreseeable assault and injury from other students.

School Liability Student On Student Sexual Abuse & Assault Under California Law Explained

This question comes from a parent on the Peninsula who requests to remain anonymous: “Chris, my son was sexually assaulted by another student at his middle school. My son and the other student are both developmentally disabled and attend the same class. Last month, the other student was observed on the playground during recess with his hands inside my son’s pants, forcibly touching my son in and around his genitals. My son never told me about the assault. However, after it occurred, each morning he was highly agitated and did not want to go to school. I kept him home for the week.

I only learned what occurred during a conversation with a teacher’s aide when my son returned to school. The aide asked me how my son was doing emotionally. I did not know what she was referring to. She told me about the assault on the playground, and added that the same student had been observed inappropriately touching other students in the classroom earlier in the school year. I spoke to the principal. She apologized for school personnel not informing me about the assault but claimed the school had no idea the student who committed the assault posed a danger to other students. What should I do?”

Teacher Aide Assaults On Special Needs Students Remain A Serious Issue

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While every child faces fears and experiences anxiety that they must overcome as they mature, children on the autism spectrum and others with special needs can find the world on a daily basis to be a confusing, threatening, and chaotic place. This heightens the fears and anxieties special needs children perceive and requires a nurturing, compassionate response from those entrusted with their care.Schools with special needs students must train their staff specifically on the issues and challenges special needs students face, and supervise staff to ensure they are interacting with students in an appropriate and professional manner.

Are Your Children Safe at School?

It is hard to ignore the issue of whether school safety actually exists, especially when shocking and unbelievable news coverage bombards parents daily. The question often becomes, “where and when is a school district responsible if harm is caused to a child?”

Suit Charges Student Molested By Employee At School For Developmentally Disabled

One San Jose mother recently experienced a parent’s worst nightmare: Her disabled son told her that he was being molested by a school employee and no one would believe him. The mother pulled her son from the school, but her accusations were ignored by both school administrators and the police until she contacted until she contacted attorneys Christopher Dolan and Heather Sweeney of the Dolan Law Firm.

Chris Dolan, owner of The Dolan Law Firm, and Ms. Sweeney are helping the mother take legal action against Achieve Kids, a school for developmentally disabled students. The mother says that her autistic son was molested by a 33-year-old teacher’s aide at the school named Waking Bailey.