The parents of an eight-year-old boy in Los Angeles have filed a lawsuit against his school after alleging that their son's teacher ordered him to pee into a trashcan, ABC News has reported.
After being made to expose himself in front of the class, the young boy got urine on his clothes in the process. As punishment for this, another employee of the school placed a garbage bag on him in order to "make an example out of him".
In the video below, his mother says that "no child deserves to be treated like this":The incident occurred last November when the child was attending Manhattan Place Elementary School in South Los Angeles in the Los Angeles Unified School District.
According to his parents, the eight-year-old approached his class teacher and asked to use the bathroom - to which, the teacher refused. When the boy asked a second time, he was instructed to pee into the trashcan at the front of the class, ABC News’ Los Angeles station KABC reports.
Speaking at a press conference last week, the family's attorney, Toni Jaramilla, said: "Instead of just letting him go, the teacher told him to urinate in a trashcan that was in the classroom and in front of his classmates."
The lawsuit then details how, while doing so, the boy accidentally soaked his clothes with urine. Later that day, the pupil visited his after-school enrichment program, where he was further humiliated by another employee.
The boy's mother, Sonia Mongol, said at the press conference: "He went to another teacher to try to receive help and she proceeded to place a garbage bag on him to make an example out of him of what you should not do at school, instead of calling us and saying, 'Can you please bring him a change of clothes?'
"That employee, for whatever reason, placed two trash bags on the boy which caused further embarrassment."
But the boy's torment didn't stop there. Four months later in March of this year, the lawsuit details how the boy asked a substitute teacher if he could use the bathroom. The substitute teacher then locked him out of the classroom.
As a result of his treatment, the boy has been transferred out of Manhattan Place Elementary to another school, but his mom says he still talks about the incident.
Mongol stated: "He doesn't understand why when he went to adults for help they would do this to him, so it's had a lasting effect on him.".
The mother also claims she was never notified about the incident by the school, and is seeking damages for extreme negligence and creating a hostile environment.
Related - This young boy was refused his lunch due to an outstanding balance:[[jwplayerwidget||https://content.jwplatform.com/videos/6XGZ5lrD-Q0L14jDU.mp4||6XGZ5lrD]]
Attorney Toni Jaramilla said: "There really needs to be some kind of training and sensitivity - and just compliance - with what the school board implements, or puts out there, with regards to allowing access to bathrooms."
Per KABC, the school district details how law enforcement was notified when they first learned of the family's claim, and are now conducting an administrative investigation. In a statement obtained by KABC, the district refused to comment on pending litigation, but did say: "The Los Angeles Unified School District remains committed to ensuring the safety and well-being of all students."
