ALEXANDRIA, La. – The parents of a non-verbal, autistic girl allege she was discriminated against “with deliberate indifference to her rights,” in a federal lawsuit filed this month.
Plaintiffs Brittany Shaffer and Joseph Shaffer filed the lawsuit January 2 in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Louisiana on behalf of their daughter, “A.S.”
The named defendant is the Natchitoches Parish School Board, or NPSB.
A.S. was a first-grader at Provencal Elementary School, or PES, during the 2024-2025 school year.
According to the 14-page complaint, she has “severe and profound” autism and as a result is non-verbal. However, her parents claim she is very active and enjoys dancing, singing, and playing outside.
Her hearing, speaking, thinking, and brain function are limited, the filing states.
“As the operator, administrator, and provider of services at PES, NPSB is obligated to ensure that the manner in which it provides these services complies with the requirements of the ADA (Americans with Disabilities Act) and does not discriminate against persons with disabilities, including individuals who have autism and limited communication abilities,” the Shaffers’ complaint states.
They allege A.S. was placed in a class with about 14 other first-grade students, six of whom were also special education students because PES did not have a self-contained classroom for children with disabilities.
The Shaffers contend they requested she receive an aide specific to her needs, which was approved in October 2025. But the aide was never appointed to her, they claim. Instead, she often had a paraprofessional assisting her.
“However, the aide was often different depending on the day or the time of day, which was not conducive to the child's needs and learning, nor was it what was approved by the NPSB,” the filing states.
In April 2025, Dewayne Poe, the school’s discipline coordinator, allegedly handled A.S. “so forcefully” that it left her bruised and red marks on her arm. He also allegedly hit her head on a hard surface and injured her leg, the complaint states.
“At some point during the interaction, four separate adults (two administrators and two aides) held A.S. to the ground by her arms and legs causing physical and emotional injuries to the child,” the filing states. “During this encounter, the Special Education teacher was holding the door closed.”
When Brittany Shaffer was informed of the incident, she was told her child had an outburst and it was necessary to keep her from hurting herself.
Her parents contend she is not prone to the type of outburst described by school officials.
“The Natchitoches Parish School Board failed to follow the child’s IEP and failed to adequately implement such guidelines to ensure that the child is sufficiently educated and safe,” their filing states.
“Despite the fact that the school and the school board approved for the child to have a one-on-one aide, she was not provided with a specific one-on-one aide, and the money given to the school to provide A.S. with this one-on-one aide was used elsewhere.”
Instead, they were told their daughter could either attend school for only two hours each day or attend school virtually as a result of the incident.
When asked if A.S. could serve her suspension in-school – so she could continue to receive counseling and therapy – she was told the school did not offer in-school suspension.
However, Brittany Shaffer, in the lawsuit, contends she was told by another parent that her child was allowed to serve in-school suspension at PES.
“Since the children, one with an IEP and the other without an IEP, are being treated differently, it is presumed that A.S. was being discriminated against due to her disability,” the filing states.
The Shaffers noted in the complaint that Brittany was forced to quit her job to homeschool her child, thereby losing about $40,000-45,000 annually.
“A.S. treatment at PES was so deficient and detrimental to her health and mental health that the Shaffers decided to homeschool A.S. in August 2025 instead of maintaining her in the NPSB school system,” the lawsuit states.
The Shaffers also allege NPSB did not follow its policy for investigating allegations of improper corporal punishments, and school staff – as mandatory reporters – failed to report allegations of abuse.
“The harm sustained by A.S. herein is the expected and foreseeable consequence of NPSB’s failure to comply with the requirements and mandates of federal civil rights laws,” the complaint states.
The plaintiffs seek punitive, compensatory, and nominal damages, in addition to attorney’s fees.
The case has been assigned to Judge Dee D. Drell.
Leesville attorney Mary K. “Katie” Beaird is representing the Shaffers in the lawsuit.
