EDMONDS, Wash. – A Snohomish County mother is suing the Edmonds School District, claiming her 10-year-old son’s fingertip was severed when a special education teacher slammed a metal door shut — and that the school never gave her a straight answer about what happened.
The lawsuit, filed last month, accuses the district, the teacher — who we are not naming because they’ve not been charged with a crime — and a principal of negligence and violating state laws protecting students with disabilities.
The backstory: — According to the complaint, the incident happened in April 2023 at Cedar Way Elementary. The fourth grader became overwhelmed during class and tried to leave the room. Instead of deescalating the situation, the lawsuit alleges his teacher “forcefully pulled the door shut,” severing the tip of his right middle finger.
Attorney Chris Davis, with Davis Law Group, representing the family said, “He had his own Individual Education Plan, and that plan required a paraeducator to help him at all times while he was in his classroom. She leaves the classroom, and the boy follows her and tries to plead with her not to leave,” Davis said. “She doesn’t stop, and she slams the door on his finger, and that severs the boy’s finger.”
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