Baltimore spending board approves $170,000 settlement in lawsuit alleging teacher molested student – ​​Baltimore Sun

Baltimore's spending board on Wednesday approved a $170,000 settlement for a mother who alleged her autistic son, then of elementary school age, was assaulted by a school employee in 2019 .

The settlement, jointly proposed by the Baltimore City Public School System through the city government, resolves a lawsuit filed by Kimberly Pinder, the mother and sole caregiver of an unidentified child. Pinder sued the school system and teacher Sara Dixon in 2022. The agreement calls for the city’s money to be held in trust for the student. The family will receive an additional $1,500 from Dixon.

The complaint stems from an incident on July 29, 2019, in which the Pimlico Elementary/Middle School student was allegedly tackled to the ground and injured by Dixon, then a special education teacher in the school system. Dixon is no longer employed by the school system.

In an updated December 2022 complaint, Pinder's legal team levied nine charges against the school system and Dixon, including assault, battery, excessive force, intentional infliction of emotional distress and gross negligence.

According to the complaint, Pimlico Elementary/Middle School security footage from July 29, 2019, during summer school, shows Dixon pulling the student through the door by the collar of his shirt, grabbing him by behind, slamming him to the ground then tackling him in the face. -first into the ground with his body on his back.

Once he stood up crying, she pushed him to the ground again, the complaint states. Surveillance footage then shows Dixon and four other staff members dragging him down a flight of stairs, according to the complaint. He returned home in distress and crying, it is added.

The complaint says Dixon and the student had a negative interaction outside, which led the student to have an “autistic crisis.” According to the complaint, that's when Dixon began trying to restrain him.

The Board of Estimates' agenda characterized the scenario differently, saying Dixon allegedly tried to “prevent (the student) from harming himself.”

“We in the city schools take any incident of student injury very seriously,” Joshua Civin, the school system’s chief legal officer, told the school board Wednesday.

Dixon's attorney could not immediately be reached for comment Wednesday.

The student had transferred to Pimlico that summer from Cross Country Elementary following an incident a month earlier in which he ended up at the University of Maryland Hospital. A special education paraprofessional at Cross Country had pushed him to the ground and pulled his arms and hands behind his back, although restraint was not part of his individualized education program, the complaint states. On other occasions, school staff placed him in a “quiet room” or removed his shoes during school, it added.

The situation at Pimlico resulted in a prolonged period of distress for the student, the complaint states.

The student “suffered physical and emotional injuries that required both physical and emotional treatment,” Pinder's attorney, Stephen Thomas, wrote in the complaint, adding that the child “still suffers from the trauma.” .

The five-member board voted unanimously in favor of the settlement Wednesday. Board Chairman Nick Mosby, chairman of the board, said he was happy to see Dixon contribute to the settlement. Mosby said he would like to see more city bylaws include a portion of employees involved in actions resulting in settlements.

“We pay millions and millions into settlements, and people can still collect their pension and get on with their lives,” he said.

Sherry Christian, a spokeswoman for Baltimore City Public Schools, released a statement emphasizing that the teacher involved in the case is no longer employed by the school system.

“We have implemented robust de-escalation procedures designed to minimize the need for physical force and promote voluntary compliance,” she said. “These procedures include, but are not limited to, using persuasion, issuing warnings, moderating the pace of an incident, and requesting additional resources if necessary.”

“We remain committed to continually improving and ensuring the well-being and safety of our students and staff through ongoing training and adherence to best practices,” added Christian.

Thomas, who represents Pinder and his son, said he would release a statement later Wednesday.

Baltimore Sun reporter Dana Munro contributed to this article.