A Kansas school employee has been accused of locking a child with Down syndrome in a cage and subjecting him to vile abuse, according to a lawsuit.
The individual, named Albert Bahret, was assigned to the 15-year-old victim as a paraprofessional to help him with his special needs, but instead allegedly subjected him to a degrading and humiliating experience.
According to a lawsuit filed by the boy’s parents, Heather and Jeff Bahner, the teaching assistant also yelled in the teen’s face, pulled him by the collar of his shirt, punched him and locked him in a utility closet multiple times.
The lawsuit also names the Kaw Valley School District and other special education staff, who allegedly failed to intervene when they discovered the abuse.
It is also claimed that when the question of the student’s treatment was raised, officials described his ordeal simply as “how to treat him”.
A Kansas special needs paraprofessional allegedly took this image of a student with Down syndrome locked in a supply cage while he is accused of subjecting the teen to a series of abuses.
Other staff members allegedly found out about the ordeal when Bahret took a photo of the student in the cage and sent it to them while comparing him to an animal.
In Bahner’s lawsuit, they allege that her disabled son, identified only as CB, was subjected to such severe abuse that his federal civil rights for people with disabilities were violated.
No criminal charges have been filed against Behret or anyone else named in the lawsuit.
CB reportedly began attending St. Mary’s Junior and High School in 2022, at which point Behret was tasked with helping manage his special education needs.
But the abuse allegedly began soon after, including Behret locking CB in a closet “not designed or intended to be used to place students for any reason,” according to the Kansas City Star.
Behret is also accused of punching the boy in the face and pulling his shirt collar so hard that he strangled CB, according to the lawsuit.
The teaching assistant also allegedly disappeared with CB for “long periods of time to unknown locations and for unknown reasons,” leaving CB with dirty laundry, the suit claims.
Because CB’s disabilities mean he is partially non-verbal, he was reportedly only able to describe the alleged abuse using the words “hit,” “Bert” and “closet.”
The alleged abuse occurred at St. Mary’s Middle and High School in Kansas, after the teaching assistant was assigned to ‘CB’ to help manage his special needs.
An image contained in the lawsuit was allegedly taken by the paraprofessional, showing CB locked in a cage, which was then allegedly sent to other school district employees.
The image was allegedly shared with a comparison of ‘CB to an animal and mockery of his serious, degrading and discriminatory behaviour’.
It is alleged that when school district officials became aware of the abuse, they deemed the actions to be nothing more than “tough love” and simply “how to handle it.”
CB’s parents said the alleged experience caused him to self-harm and have a severe fear of dark rooms and spaces, and caused his communication problems to deteriorate, according to the lawsuit.
“CB has stopped using his words and now just stands there drooling. He is terrified of the dark,” the suit states. “He pulls out his hair, so much so that he has large bald spots on his head.”
The other two special education staff members charged in the suit allegedly witnessed or understood the nature of the ordeal, but “actively participated in defendants’ campaign to conceal the unlawful conduct,” the suit states.
Despite the severity of the allegations, Bahret and two other special education teachers named in the lawsuit are reportedly still employed by the Kaw Valley School District.
Kaw Valley Superintendent Kerry Lacock acknowledged the lawsuit and said in a statement that the district intended to make “our schools the safe and caring place our community expects and deserves.”
The parents of the alleged victim said through their lawyer that they were “horrified” by the alleged abuse and said they “look forward to prosecuting her case and receiving justice.”
District Superintendent Kerry Lacock told the Kansas City Star that the district is aware of the allegations in the lawsuit but that its response was restricted due to confidentiality laws.
“We ask our families and employees to promptly report any concerns about inappropriate conduct,” Lacock said in a statement.
“It takes all of us working together—teachers, staff, and families of students—to make our schools the safe and welcoming places our community expects and deserves.”
An attorney for the parents, Matthew Rogers, said in a statement to the outlet that no student with disabilities “should be forced to endure the discriminatory treatment that CB has suffered at the hands of the school district.”
“The Bahners were horrified to learn that CB — a particularly vulnerable child, given the extent of his disabilities and his ability to speak only partially — experienced the treatment described in their lawsuit, including being placed in a locked cage,” Rogers said.
‘The Bahners hope their case will be pursued and justice will be done for CB’
The Kaw Valley School District did not appear to have a contact available for further comment.
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