Mom explains lawsuit against Aiken County schools
NORTH AUGUSTA, S.C. (WRDW/WAGT) - A North Augusta mom has filed a lawsuit against the Aiken County Public School District and the North Augusta Department of Public Safety over an incident involving her son in 2021.
On Tuesday morning at 10 a.m., the mom, Sylvia Brannon, was outside the Aiken County Courthouse with her attorney to talk about the suit.
According to the complaint, the student, who is on the autism spectrum, was having a mental health crisis on Aug. 27, 2021, when he was approached by the school resource officer at North Augusta High School. The student was then tackled to the ground, handcuffed, and arrested, according to the complaint.
DEVELOPING STORY:
- Will Rioux is talking with the family to learn more about the lawsuit and what led to it. Watch for updates all day here on WRDW.com and on News 12.
The lawsuit was filed on Aug. 23.
According the lawyer, her son was about to pick up lunch when the incident unfolded.
The mom says the school is ill-prepared to care for special needs students and has had to repeatedly stand up for her son.
“As I got into the driveway, I saw the police with my child and they had my son in the back of a patrol car handcuffed and he was crying,” she said. “Ii immediately asked them to uncuff my child and let me get my kid. that’s when he called his backup and they came and I put my hands up because when they got out the car they pulled their out their guns.”
The charges against her son have now been dismissed but the family attorney says they are now seeking ability for the incident
The complaint suggests that the school resource officer used excessive force and falsely arrested the student. As of Tuesday, the charges against her son have now been dismissed.
The complaint alleges gross negligence, negligent hiring and supervision as well as malicious prosecution and false imprisonment.
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