West TN family files two lawsuits against Hardeman Co. schools
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HARDEMAN COUNTY, Tenn.,- A West Tennessee family files two lawsuits this week against the Hardeman County Board of Education claiming the school system did not do enough to stop a former employee from allegedly sexually assaulting their son. WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News is not identifying the former teaching assistant because no criminal charges have been filed. Bolivar’s police chief, Pat Baker, also said the department is no longer looking into the family’s claims. Both federal and state lawsuits filed are full of shocking claims that detail how their then 11-year-old autistic son was sexually assaulted by the teaching assistant at Bolivar Middle School in 2011. “He has said things to the mother, to the father, and to other people that have given serious concerns about what actually happened,” said the family’s attorney, Mike Weinman. According to the lawsuit, the family told school leaders multiple times they feared their son was being sexually abused after finding bruises and cuts on him. The lawsuit goes on to say the teacher continued to have contact with the boy, even after district leaders told his parents it would not be allowed. “The child is profoundly autistic,” said Weinman. “He has issues he has to struggle with even without dealing with this type of situation.” The family’s attorney said the teacher did not return to school the next year, and the family was never given a reason why. WBBJ 7 Eyewitness News reached out to the Hardeman County School Board and the Director of Schools Warner Ross. Both referred inquiries to their lawyers who did not return our phone calls.
