A Kansas school worker is accused of locking a boy with Down syndrome in a cage and subjecting him to horrific abuse, a lawsuit alleges.
The individual, Albert Bahret, was assigned as a paraprofessional to the 15-year-old victim to assist him with his special needs. Instead, he allegedly subjected him to a humiliating and degrading ordeal.
According to a lawsuit filed by the child’s parents, Heather and Jeff Bahner, the teaching assistant also yelled in the teen’s face, pulled him by the collar, hit him and locked him in a closet multiple times.
The lawsuit also accuses the Kaw Valley school district and other special education officials of failing to intervene when they discovered the abuse.
It is also alleged that when the student’s treatment was discussed, authorities described his ordeal only as “how to deal with him.”
A Kansas paraprofessional who specializes in special needs allegedly took this photo of a student with Down syndrome locked in a shelter cage, while he is accused of subjecting the teen to a flurry of abuse
Other staff members reportedly discovered the situation when Bahret took a photo of the student in the cage and circulated it, comparing the student to an animal.
In the Bahners’ lawsuit, they allege that their disabled son, identified only as CB, was subjected to abuse so severe that his federal civil rights as people with disabilities were violated.
No criminal charges have been filed against Behret or anyone else named in the lawsuit.
CB reportedly attended St. Mary’s Junior and High School in 2022, where Behret was assigned to help with his special educational needs.
But the abuse allegedly began shortly afterward, with Behret allegedly locking CB in a closet that was “not designed or intended to house students for any reason,” the Kansas City star.
Behret is also accused of hitting the child in the face and pulling him by the collar of his shirt so hard that CB was strangled, the complaint states.
The teaching assistant also allegedly “disappeared with CB for extended periods of time to unknown locations and for unknown reasons” and left CB in dirty clothes, the complaint states.
Because CB is only partially non-verbal due to his disabilities, he could only describe the alleged abuse using the words “hit,” “Bert,” and “closet.”
The alleged abuse occurred at St. Mary’s Junior and High School in Kansas, after the teaching assistant was assigned to ‘CB’ to help with his special needs
A photo in the lawsuit allegedly taken by the paraprofessional shows CB locked in a cage, which was then sent to other school district employees.
When sharing the image, CB was allegedly compared to an animal and his serious, degrading and discriminatory behaviour was trivialised.
It is alleged that when school officials became aware of the abuse, they viewed the actions as nothing more than “tough love” and that it was simply “the way you deal with him.”
According to CB’s parents, the alleged ordeal led to self-harm and a severe fear of dark rooms and spaces, and worsened his communication problems, the lawsuit states.
“CB has stopped using his words and now just drools. He is terrified of the dark,” the lawsuit alleges. “He pulls out his hair, so much so that he has large bald spots on his head.”
The two other special education employees charged in the lawsuit allegedly witnessed or understood the situation but “actively participated in Defendants’ campaign to conceal the unlawful conduct,” the lawsuit states.
Despite the seriousness of the allegations, Bahret and two other special education teachers named in the lawsuit are reportedly still employed by the Kaw Valley School District.
Kaw Valley School District Principal Kerry Lacock acknowledged the lawsuit and said in a statement that the district intended to “make our schools the safe and caring place our community expects and deserves.”
The alleged victim’s parents said through their attorney that they were “shocked” by the alleged abuse and said they “look forward to pursuing their case and receiving justice”
The district’s school superintendent, Kerry Lacock, told the Kansas City Star that the district is aware of the allegations in the lawsuit but was unable to comment due to confidentiality laws.
“We ask our families and employees to immediately report any concerns regarding inappropriate behavior,” Lacock said in a statement.
“It must all work together — teachers, staff, and student families — to make our schools the safe and caring places our communities expect and deserve.”
An attorney for the parents, Matthew Rogers, said in a statement to the newspaper that no student with disabilities “should be forced to endure the discriminatory treatment that CB has endured from the school district.”
“The Bahners were shocked to learn that CB — a particularly vulnerable child given the extent of his disabilities and the fact that he is only partially verbal — had been subjected to the treatment described in their lawsuit, including placing CB in a locked cage,” Rogers said.
“The Bahners look forward to pursuing their case and getting justice for CB”
The Kaw Valley School District did not appear to have a contact person available for further comment.