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Mother Accuses Teacher In Inglewood Of Slapping Her Son With Special Needs

INGLEWOOD (CBSLA.com) — A mother says she's suing an Inglewood instructor, two teacher's aides and a school district after she alleges that her son with special needs was slapped in class.

The family of Darren Brown claims that the third-grader with speech and learning disabilities was smacked in early March during a reading lesson.

"Just the thought of it, if it wasn't no law, I would really like really want to hurt her," Darren's mother Quinesha Richard said.

The 9-year-old says he's now left feeling scared and upset.

The recently filed lawsuit alleges that Mary Cooksey, a Warren Lane Elementary School teacher, physically and verbally abused the child.

CBS2 was told that the incident allegedly happened when the teacher believed the boy was misbehaving.

"And turned around and slapped him in his face with an open hand," explained Richard, who says she received a text message from her other son that said: "Darren said ms Cooksey slapwd him in his face for no reason."

Richard says after she got that message, she raced to the school to find her son in tears terrified by what she says happened to him with no explanation and no apology.

The day before the incident, Richard says the teacher humiliated her son and yelled at him to: "to get him [expletive] out of her class."

Sebastian Medvei, the attorney representing the family, believes Darren's been left with emotional scarring.

"He's working with a clinical psychologist and sort of coping with these events," Medvei said.

In addition to the teacher, the family is also suing two teacher's aides and the Inglewood Unified School District.

CBS2 reached out to various officials within the district, but no one has replied to the station with a comment.

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