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Deaf girl's mother files lawsuit against school board, alleges harassment - News - The Charleston Gazette - West Virginia News and Sports -
The mother of a deaf student filed a lawsuit against the Kanawha County Board of Education last week, asking a judge to temporarily prevent school officials from forcing her daughter to attend Capital High School amid allegations that an interpreter there had been harassing her.
For at least the past two years, Regina M. Pine has been asking school officials to allow her daughter Ariel Depp, 16, to attend South Charleston High School, which lies next door to the family's home.
But Ariel must attend Capital, as it is the only high school in the county equipped to teach hearing-impaired children.
Pratt alleged in the lawsuit that Ariel's interpreter verbally harassed and intimidated her repeatedly -- a claim that Capital's principal, Clinton S. Giles, said had been fantasized in order to expedite the girl's transfer to South Charleston.
Pratt, Depp, the interpreter and two Capital assistant principals met at least twice to discuss the allegations, the lawsuit states, during which the teacher, acting as Depp's interpreter, told her, "You're trying to make me look bad in front of the principals," and "You're trying to get me fired."
Giles told the Gazette that he had never met Pratt or had even heard her name before the lawsuit was filed last Wednesday and denied that the meetings happened. Any harassment complaint would have gone through Giles, he said, and his four assistant principals never informed him of any problem.
"It would not have been that either of the four of them would have shared that with me," he said. "Clinton H. Giles would have been at the forefront at what that is."
In an email, Pratt, who is also hearing impaired, asserted that she and Depp met with assistant principals Angela Cruikshank and Tom Canterbury in May to discuss the allegations against the teacher.
"There may have been there was some sort of issue that was discussed," Giles said. "Apparently it did not rise to the level of bringing it to my attention."
The lawsuit states that starting in November 2009, the interpreter had harassed and intimidated Depp at various times as he supervised her. The suit does not go into specifics about what the teacher allegedly did.
Giles said that he has never fielded any complaints about the interpreter, whom he lauded as an excellent teacher who holds students to a high standard.
"Frequently, kids don't like that," Giles said. "Children enlist the aid and assistance of their parents in order for them to be able to gain their way."
Capital facilitates to deaf and hearing-impaired children and also physically, mentally, and visually impaired and autistic students, Giles said, adding that Capital's special-needs program is one of the largest in the state in terms of student population.
Jim Withrow, the school system's attorney, told the Gazette that South Charleston High School is not equipped to teach hearing-impaired children.
"I think it's well established that a school district is not required to have every type of program for every type of disability for every school," he said. "You can see how that would be somewhat burdensome."
The mother of a deaf student filed a lawsuit against the Kanawha County Board of Education last week, asking a judge to temporarily prevent school officials from forcing her daughter to attend Capital High School amid allegations that an interpreter there had been harassing her.
For at least the past two years, Regina M. Pine has been asking school officials to allow her daughter Ariel Depp, 16, to attend South Charleston High School, which lies next door to the family's home.
But Ariel must attend Capital, as it is the only high school in the county equipped to teach hearing-impaired children.
Pratt alleged in the lawsuit that Ariel's interpreter verbally harassed and intimidated her repeatedly -- a claim that Capital's principal, Clinton S. Giles, said had been fantasized in order to expedite the girl's transfer to South Charleston.
Pratt, Depp, the interpreter and two Capital assistant principals met at least twice to discuss the allegations, the lawsuit states, during which the teacher, acting as Depp's interpreter, told her, "You're trying to make me look bad in front of the principals," and "You're trying to get me fired."
Giles told the Gazette that he had never met Pratt or had even heard her name before the lawsuit was filed last Wednesday and denied that the meetings happened. Any harassment complaint would have gone through Giles, he said, and his four assistant principals never informed him of any problem.
"It would not have been that either of the four of them would have shared that with me," he said. "Clinton H. Giles would have been at the forefront at what that is."
In an email, Pratt, who is also hearing impaired, asserted that she and Depp met with assistant principals Angela Cruikshank and Tom Canterbury in May to discuss the allegations against the teacher.
"There may have been there was some sort of issue that was discussed," Giles said. "Apparently it did not rise to the level of bringing it to my attention."
The lawsuit states that starting in November 2009, the interpreter had harassed and intimidated Depp at various times as he supervised her. The suit does not go into specifics about what the teacher allegedly did.
Giles said that he has never fielded any complaints about the interpreter, whom he lauded as an excellent teacher who holds students to a high standard.
"Frequently, kids don't like that," Giles said. "Children enlist the aid and assistance of their parents in order for them to be able to gain their way."
Capital facilitates to deaf and hearing-impaired children and also physically, mentally, and visually impaired and autistic students, Giles said, adding that Capital's special-needs program is one of the largest in the state in terms of student population.
Jim Withrow, the school system's attorney, told the Gazette that South Charleston High School is not equipped to teach hearing-impaired children.
"I think it's well established that a school district is not required to have every type of program for every type of disability for every school," he said. "You can see how that would be somewhat burdensome."