EDMONDS, Wash. – A Snohomish County mother is suing the Edmonds School District, claiming her 10-year-old son’s fingertip was severed when a special education teacher slammed a metal door shut — and that the school never gave her a straight answer about what happened.
The lawsuit, filed last month, accuses the district, the teacher — who we are not naming because they’ve not been charged with a crime — and a principal of negligence and violating state laws protecting students with disabilities.
Cedar Way Elementary School
The backstory:
According to the complaint, the incident happened in April 2023 at Cedar Way Elementary. The fourth grader became overwhelmed during class and tried to leave the room. Instead of deescalating the situation, the lawsuit alleges his teacher “forcefully pulled the door shut,” severing the tip of his right middle finger.
Attorney Chris Davis, with Davis Law Group, representing the family said, “He had his own Individual Education Plan, and that plan required a paraeducator to help him at all times while he was in his classroom. She leaves the classroom, and the boy follows her and tries to plead with her not to leave,” Davis said. “She doesn’t stop, and she slams the door on his finger, and that severs the boy’s finger.”
10-year-old boy’s statement about the Edmonds incident
Dig deeper:
When the child was asked what happened, documents state he said, “I was screaming at the top of my lungs. You could hear me probably three classrooms away, probably from the office you could hear me. Screaming. I lost my voice. [Teacher] was just standing there. I banged on the window to tell her, “my finger!” When I was screaming, all she did is look at me through the window, then she walked away—I think to eat her lunch. She didn’t open the door. I had to open the door myself. I don’t feel safe. I don’t like being in that classroom.
The mother claims the school called to tell her there had been an accident but never explained the severity. When she arrived, she found her son covered in blood.
“The school never informed mom what had happened or why it had happened,” Davis said. “She was promised a phone call by the principal — that never materialized. She was just told to pick up her boy… and when she goes to the school to pick him up, he’s got blood all over his shirt, and they hand her a cup with his severed fingertip.”
Cedar Way Elementary School
The lawsuit also claims the district failed to comply with the boy’s federally mandated Individualized Education Program (IEP) — including not providing a dedicated one-on-one paraeducator or updating behavioral assessments required by law.
What they’re saying:
“The mom certainly wants to raise awareness for this incident,” Davis said. “She also wants school districts to do a better job at providing the education that special needs children deserve. We know there are over 140,000 special needs students in the state of Washington, and we just want to bring awareness to the need to provide these children with the attention and instruction that they need.”
The filing also claims staff never reported the restraint, failed to explain what happened, and less than a month after the incident sent messages to each other “that they hoped [the boy] had learned his lesson.”
After the incident, documents say the teacher apologized, saying, “I’m sorry for what happened to you, but you shouldn’t have kept asking me when I wasn’t answering you because if I don’t answer you than that means I’m doing something. So it was kind of your fault, but I’m sorry.”
Edmonds School District just displayed a remarkable insensitivity to what happened to the boy. We don’t believe the district has actually taken full responsibility for what happened.”
FOX 13 reached out to the Edmonds School District for comment but were told they cannot comment on pending litigation.
Davis says the boy’s injury has healed physically, but the trauma remains.
“Physically, he seems to be doing much better,” Davis said. “But probably what’s more troubling now is the emotional impact. He still has fear surrounding doors and trust issues with teachers because of what his teacher did to him. I believe he has been diagnosed with Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder.”
MORE NEWS FROM FOX 13 SEATTLE
Black Lives Matter mural vandalized in Seattle’s Capitol Hill neighborhood
Nearly 1,000 Starbucks workers in Seattle, Kent to be laid off
First WA snow of the season to hit this week. Here’s where
Teen found hiding in closet after 2 people found dead in Pierce County home
Suspected DUI driver crashes into Pierce County deputy, arrested
To get the best local news, weather and sports in Seattle for free, sign up for the daily FOX Seattle Newsletter.
Download the free FOX LOCAL app for mobile in the Apple App Store or Google Play Store for live Seattle news, top stories, weather updates and more local and national news.
