ROSWELL, Ga. — A father is calling for the suspension of a Roswell special-needs teacher who he says contributed to the death of his son.
On Tuesday, Channel 2's Tom Regan went to Roswell High School, where protesters rallied against the teacher. Extra police were on hand when about 20 people showed up outside the school.
"She's still teaching, and we want justice. Fulton County shame on you," Ron Hatcher said through a megaphone.
Hatcher's son, Aaron, died in March 2011 following a hospitalization for which Hatcher holds the school system responsible. The 18-year-old had muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy and couldn't talk or move on his own. A specialized wheelchair and brace were required to keep him in a position where he could breathe.
But Hatcher said a nurse assigned to his son contacted him one day about a neck brace allegedly placed on the student by his teacher, Kathy Dorn Durden. He said he went to the school and found his son wearing a sort of home-made brace that was not approved by either him or doctors.
Hatcher believes the restraint led to several emergency room trips from the school, where Aaron stopped breathing. He has filed a $10. 5 million lawsuit against the school system, alleging negligence and abuse in his son's death.
"It's not about the money for me. This is about the other kids over here at this school right now. It's about these kids. These special-needs kids that cannot talk," Hatcher said.
Hatcher called on the teacher to be suspended with pay, a school district representative said she remains in the classroom because a preliminary investigation found no wrongdoing on her part.
WSBTV
