Family files federal lawsuit against school district for alleged abuse, ‘torture’ of autistic daughter

The parents of an elementary student with autism have taken legal action against their daughter’s school, claiming she was physically abused by staff members.

Christopher Dohse and Kimberly Pittard filed the federal lawsuit against the Fort Bend Independent School District in Sugar Land, Texas last week. The parents are represented by attorney Martin Cirkiel. 

“They hurt me,” 7-year-old Paisley told her parents after school, the suit says, after they noticed bruises covering her arms in early October. 

Her father saw “finger marks” and deep scratches on two different occasions, the suit alleges, first on Oct. 6 and again on Oct. 13.  

“My daughter said the day she had all those bruises on her, she says, ‘Mommy they were dragging me and hurting me from the primary classroom to special ed,’” Pittard said, according to local FOX 26.  

When Paisley’s concerned parents asked questions about the injuries, they say they never got straight answers.  

“What really upsets me more so than anything is that we asked about the bruises numerous times,” Pittard said, according to Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “We were always shifted that it was not the time or place to talk about when that happened, where that happened, that they investigated it and looked into it and found nothing wrong.” 

During the fall 2023 semester, Paisley was “unnecessarily physically restrained” by staff using methods that “bordered on torture,” according to court records reviewed by FOX 26. 

In one example, the child was forced to lie on her stomach with her hands behind her back. Staff reportedly let her up after she said she could no longer breathe. 

In another instance, she was placed in a locked police car as a scare tactic, resulting in her soiling herself. 

Other accusations include staff members holding a pillow over her face and locking her in a storage closet as punishment. 

Paisley’s parents have reportedly withdrawn her from the school. 

“I don’t think I’d ever feel safe bringing her back into a Fort Bend ISD school,” Kimberly Pittard said, according to ABC 13. “My daughter wakes up in the middle of the night saying, ‘Please don’t hurt me. Please don’t kill me. I’ll be good.'” 

Fort Bend ISD has issued a statement denying the allegations, claiming to have “investigated allegations in this case fully and impartially.” 

“Our fact-finding included separate investigations by our Fort Bend ISD Police Department and Human Resources teams, a review of video footage and evidence, statements from all pertinent staff members, date and time verifications plus other ascertainable information,” the district statement reads. “Our investigations were thorough and deliberate. The allegations made were found to be unsubstantiated. An investigation by Child Protective Services also ruled out any findings of abuse or neglect by district staff.” 

The lawsuit seeks changes to the district’s special education funding and teaching practices, as well as unspecified damages for the mental anguish endured by Paisley and her family.