A lawsuit has been filed against Jefferson County Public Schools and former Moore High School teacher William Bennett after a fight with a student was caught on camera.
The mother of the student at Moore High School filed the lawsuit with the Jefferson Circuit Clerk, suing for damages for multiple counts of assault, breach of contract, and the school district’s “negligent hiring” of Bennett, according to court documents.
The lawsuit argues that on the day of the fight, August 23, the student had been restrained and assaulted by Bennett while he was yelling “obscenities, profanities, and racial slurs” at the student.
Due to the incident, the lawsuit said the student suffered physical, mental and emotional stress and was entitled to compensation from the teacher and the school district.
The lawsuit also claims that Jefferson County Public Schools did not perform proper hiring and background check procedures as Bennett had been hired by multiple districts and had multiple instances of insubordination and improper conduct, stating “JCPS either failed to investigate his background or simply ignored it.”
After a months-long investigation, Jefferson County Public Schools fired Bennett on December 16.
The former teacher had been placed on administrative reassignment as the investigation unfolded, where the school district reviewed footage and said Bennett had failed to deescalate the situation and showed multiple instances of insubordination and “conduct unbecoming a teacher.”
The lawsuit is seeking compensatory damages for the mental and emotional stress of the incident as well as punitive damages.
Source: WAVE
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