Student Alleges Sub Broke Wrist, Sues School District

LOS ANGELES, CA - A Lawndale High School student sued the Centinela Valley Union High School District on Wednesday, alleging a substitute teacher slammed a door on his right wrist, breaking it and causing the boy to suffer a diabetic attack.

Ignacio Arteaga Jr. filed the lawsuit in Los Angeles Superior Court, seeking unspecified damages on allegations of negligence, battery and assault. The suit also names as a defendant the substitute teacher, identified only as Mr. Chamberlin.

A CVUHSD representative did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

According to the lawsuit, Chamberlin served as a substitute teacher in one of Arteaga's classes on March 12, 2015. Chamberlin ignored numerous knocks on the classroom door, prompting Arteaga to answer it and allow two of his fellow pupils to enter, the suit says.

Chamberlin, who is 6-foot-4 and weighs more than 250 pounds, "charged across the room toward the door and to the spot where Arteaga was still standing," according to the suit, which alleges the teacher pushed the smaller plaintiff into the hallway.

Arteaga put his right hand inside the door jamb, but Chamberlin blocked his way back into the classroom, the suit alleges. Before the student could remove his hand, Chamberlin slammed the door with full force upon it, according to the suit.

Arteaga eventually removed his hand from the door jamb, but Chamberlin shut the door and locked him out of the classroom, according to the lawsuit.

Arteaga says he knocked on the door, but Chamberlin told the other students to ignore him.

The plaintiff says he went to the school nurse's office, where a call was made to his mother to pick him up from school. The nurse noticed that he was having a diabetic attack caused by the stress from breaking his wrist, according to his court papers.

Lawndale High staff members knew Arteaga was diagnosed as diabetic at age 14 and that he needed to go to the hospital, the suit says. However, before leaving, the right-handed Arteaga says he was required to sign a written statement of what happened with his left hand due to his injury.

The incident with Chamberlin occurred in "a place that is supposed to be safe" and in front of "a classroom full of students," the suit states. Arteaga felt humiliated being known as "the kid that got beat up by the teacher," according to his complaint.

Chamberlin allegedly had a prior history of misconduct toward Arteaga during other substitute teaching assignments, often denying him permission to use the restroom even though he had the consent from the school nurse and other staff members to do so because of his medical condition, the suit alleges.

— City News Service, photo via Shutterstock