Lawsuit Claims Ohio Elementary School Employee Forced A Black Student To Eat Waffles Taken From Trash
The mother of a student in Lorain, Ohio has reportedly filed a federal lawsuit against Lorain City Schools, which alleges that an elementary school employee forced her 9-year-old child to eat food retrieved from a garbage can in the cafeteria.
The lawsuit, filed Wednesday (December 8) in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of Ohio, claims the incident happened at Palm Elementary School on November 21 and the student told the school’s principal she “did not like the waffles” and “asked for a different meal.” Furthermore, it states the principal told the girl to “finish what was on her tray,” but the student instead “threw out the remaining waffles.”
WJW reports that the suit alleges another staff member then pulled the waffles from the trash and forced the young girl to finish eating them.
“How in the world could one of their employees feel this is OK or an appropriate remedy for any situation at all?” Cleveland attorney Jared Klebanow, who is representing the mother, told the news station. “In this instance, the Lorain City School District has failed.”
The incident left the child “frightened and embarrassed,” feeling physically ill, and she has since needed mental health treatment, the lawsuit states.
“The child is afraid of their school, doesn’t want to eat lunch at school,” Klebanow said. “I think she will have trouble trusting educators and administrators moving forward.”
Additionally, the lawsuit claims the incident violated the student’s constitutional rights and she was picked on because she’s Black.
“The number one goal here is to make sure no other child goes through what our client’s child has gone through,” Klebanow said.
A Lorain City Schools spokesperson said two staff members have been placed on leave while they investigate what happened.
“District authorities responded in accordance with board policy and past practice by placing any staff member who could potentially be involved in incidents of this serious nature on immediate paid administrative leave, pending an investigation,” the district said in a statement provided to WJW, adding that they expect the investigation to be completed next week.
