A mother in Snohomish County is taking legal action against the Edmonds School District after she claims her 10-year-old son lost part of his finger in a traumatic incident involving a teacher.
The mother further claims she was left in the dark about what really happened.
Finger Severed After Door Slammed Shut, Lawsuit Claims
The incident occurred in April 2023 at Cedar Way Elementary School, according to a lawsuit filed last month. The fourth-grade student, who has special needs, reportedly became overwhelmed in class and attempted to leave the room, per FOX 13 Seattle.
What happened next is the focus of a negligence and disability rights violation case now facing the school district, a principal, and the teacher involved.
The complaint alleges the teacher — who is not being named because they have not been criminally charged — “forcefully pulled the door shut,” catching the boy’s right middle finger and severing the tip.
Attorney Chris Davis of Davis Law Group, who is representing the family, explained: "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."
The incident happened at Cedar Way Elementary School. Credit: Google Maps
“I Don’t Feel Safe”: Child Recounts the Painful Ordeal
In legal documents, the child shared his version of the events, describing the pain and confusion he experienced.
He said: "I was screaming at the top of my lungs. You could hear me probably three classrooms away, probably from the office you could hear me. Screaming. I lost my voice. [Teacher] was just standing there. I banged on the window to tell her, ‘my finger!’
"When I was screaming, all she did is look at me through the window, then she walked away - I think to eat her lunch. She didn’t open the door. I had to open the door myself. I don’t feel safe. I don’t like being in that classroom."
Mother Says School Downplayed Severity
The boy’s mother says she received a call from the school notifying her of an “accident” but was not given any clear explanation. When she arrived, she was met with a shocking sight — her son was covered in blood.
"The school never informed mom what had happened or why it had happened," Davis said. "She was promised a phone call by the principal — that never materialized. She was just told to pick up her boy… and when she goes to the school to pick him up, he’s got blood all over his shirt, and they hand her a cup with his severed fingertip."
School Allegedly Failed to Follow Special Needs Plan
The lawsuit argues that the school did not follow the child’s federally mandated Individualized Education Program (IEP). Among the alleged failures: not assigning a one-on-one paraeducator and neglecting to update behavioral assessments, as required by law.
Further, the complaint claims that school staff failed to properly document or report the incident and shared inappropriate comments via internal messages less than a month later. One message allegedly read that staff “hoped [the boy] had learned his lesson.”
The teacher later apologized to the boy in a way that’s also raising concerns. According to the filing, she told him: "I’m sorry for what happened to you, but you shouldn’t have kept asking me when I wasn’t answering you because if I don’t answer you than that means I’m doing something. So it was kind of your fault, but I’m sorry."
Legal Team Says District Must Do Better for Special Needs Students
Attorney Davis says the case is about more than one incident — it’s about holding the school accountable and pushing for better support for students with disabilities.
"The mom certainly wants to raise awareness for this incident," Davis said.
"She also wants school districts to do a better job at providing the education that special needs children deserve. We know there are over 140,000 special needs students in the state of Washington, and we just want to bring awareness to the need to provide these children with the attention and instruction that they need."