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A Virginia Beach mother has filed a $150 million lawsuit alleging that a “makeshift prison” in a classroom contributed to the death of her 11-year-old son, who had special needs, in Nov. 2024, according to a complaint obtained by News 3 on Wednesday.
Virginia Beach mom files $150M suit over 2024 death of special needs son kept in ‘makeshift prison’ at school
This lawsuit ties the death of Julie Xirau’s son, Joshua Sikes, on Nov. 3 to an incident at his classroom on Oct. 31. Sikes was enrolled at Pembroke Elementary School where he received services from Southeastern Cooperative Educational Program (SECEP). SECEP and four of its employees were named as defendants in the lawsuit.
Sikes spent hours in the “makeshift prison,” which was constructed by some of the defendants, on Oct. 31, 2024, according to the complaint. The complaint goes on to say there is no padding on the walls or floor within the constricted space; the corresponding photos — which were submitted as evidence — seem to corroborate this claim.
He would repeatedly strike his head on the floor during this time. The defendants later told Sikes’ mother that he was misbehaving and needed to be picked up; she was never told about the injuries his head suffered while in the space…