Asia Gaines has filed a lawsuit against Chicago Public Schools after a teacher and her friend allegedly beat her 4th-grade son with thick belts in a school bathroom at Tilton Elementary.
The alleged incident occurred on Sept. 20, 2018 when 9-year-old Jomuary Champ entered the classroom before the start of first period. The teacher, identified in the lawsuit as Kristen Haynes, and her friend, Juanita Tyler, grabbed the boy and dragged him down the hallway to the boy’s bathroom.
The lawsuit says Haynes left the boy with her friend and went back to the classroom. She left the friend with two large belts she kept in the closet of her classroom.
The friend beat the boy “over his clothing with both belts, landing blows on his back, buttocks and legs, breaking the skin and leaving abrasions on his body,” according to the lawsuit.
Tyler is Jomuary’s distant relative, but Jomuary said he didn’t know who she was.
CPS spokeswoman Emily Bolton said that Haynes was removed from her position as the school district investigate the allegations.
“Every student deserves a safe learning environment and the district will not tolerate actions that place students in the way of harm,” she said.
Gaines’ lawyer said that school officials still aren’t doing enough for the 4th-grade boy.
“Despite the serious risk of re-traumatization, (the boy) has returned to Tilton because CPS refuses to pay for transportation to a new school, a cost his mother cannot afford,” attorney Al Hofeld Jr. said.
Jomuary’s family said he was partially hospitalized for a couple months after the beating and has to take anxiety medication.
If you would like information about personal injury claims, visit Cohen & Cohen to learn more.
