Parents Sue Shorewood Teacher, Say She Pushed Their Kid

A husband and wife are suing a Shorewood teacher they claim pushed their daughter more than three years ago.

In addition to teacher Katelin Stygar, parents Kyle Cullen and Becky Meehan are also suing the Troy School District and Crossroads Elementary School.

The lawsuit accuses Stygar of pushing Cullen and Meehan’s child, Mia Smrz, in March 2012. While the suit identifies Cullen and Meehan as Mia’s parents, the couple had no children together, according to a February 2014 divorce case brought by Cullen. The divorce petition said Cullen, 36, and Meehan, also 36 married in November 2010.

Three months after filing for divorce, Cullen sought to have the case dismissed.

Stygar taught kindergarten at Crossroads in 2012, according to the website Find the Data. Crossroads Elementary School no longer lists her as a member of its staff, but the website for Centennial School in Streator says she is an ESL teacher.

In their lawsuit, Cullen and Meehan claim Stygar “intentionally made physical contact with” Mia, “and pushed her.”

The child was left “injured both internally and externally,” according to the lawsuit, and suffered “great pain, discomfort, disfigurement, physical impairment and emotional distress,” and will have to live with the damage done to her for the rest of her life.

This is worth $15,000 to Cullen and Meehan, the lawsuit said, not including punitive damages and legal fees.

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