Teacher: Student Attacked Me for Months, District Did Nothing

Colorado teacher files lawsuit against her school district
By Neal Colgrass,  Newser Staff
Posted Feb 28, 2016 4:20 PM CST
Teacher: Student Attacked Me for Months, District Did Nothing
In this Sept. 11, 2014 file photo, high school students walk into Loveland High School, past a sign at the entrance bearing the image of the school mascot, an American Indian, in Loveland, Colo.   (AP Photo/Brennan Linsley, file)

A Colorado teacher says she's suing her school district because it failed to protect her from a student who attacked her for months and even threatened her life, KDVR reports. "I was told that was my job and I was to get in there and take it," says Carrie Giesler. According to Giesler, the Thompson School District in Loveland, Colo., hired her to teach the 13-year-old autistic boy in 2014. That's when he allegedly attacked her over a six-months period, slapping, punching, and kicking her. He also drew pictures of weapons he would use to take her life, Giesler claims. "The entire time with him going, 'Are you scared of me? Are you scared of me? You should be. I’m going to kill you, bitch,'" she says.

But when Giesler reported the alleged incidents to superiors a dozen times, she says they wouldn't let her call police or document what had happened. Only when the student apparently broke her thumb did anything change: The boy was hit with third-degree assault charges and Giesler lost her job. Now she's suing the district, saying it placed her in danger. "They contributed or created this dangerous situation and then they told her, by the way, you can’t call the police," her lawyer says. Giesler is advocating for a new policy to give teachers protection from special needs students who turn violent. The district spokesperson declined to comment on the pending case, KFOR reports. (More lawsuit stories.)

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