***Portland, OR: Paras sue over "physical abuse/emotional distress"; SPED students VIOLENT

Mar 21, 2019, KGW8, Portland, OR: Classrooms in Crisis: Educators of special needs students sue districts https://www.kgw.com/article/news/classrooms-in-crisis-educators-of-special-needs-students-sue-districts/283-bcb3ca79-0077-4a04-bc52-c7ebef3bea51 Paraeducators are suing districts after alleged physical abuse and emotional distress from students acting out. Ten Portland metro area paraeducators have filed lawsuits against three school districts for the abuse they say they suffered in classrooms and the lack of action by school officials to help them…. “I’ve had my breasts grabbed so violently it left bruises, I’ve had bodies rubbed against me in a sexual nature. I’ve had my rotator cuff torn, I've been head-butted, I've had several concussions, fractures, wore a cast, I've been peed on, bled on,” said Moore. While Moore said she experienced some of these incidents throughout her career, she said things got worse during the last five or six years. “To not be able to protect other students, coworkers and myself, you know. You feel defeated,” said Moore. ... Manzella, an educational assistant for 10 years, also said these incidents became more intense over the last five years…. She said instead of helping those kids, she spent her days handling violent and disruptive behavior incidents…. Once Moore filed her lawsuit, paraeducators from other school districts started coming forward with their stories, including John Percich. Percich, a paraeducator at Beaverton High School for six years, recently filed a lawsuit against the Beaverton School District. “I was working with severely impacted autism students. Special needs students, not mainstream students,” said Percich. … He said the school district did not help the teachers, the staff or students…. Rebecca Cambreleng is an attorney who represents the Portland Public School paraeducators, Percich and a third paraeducator, Valarie McNair, who teaches in the Gresham-Barlow School District. “I was appalled and concerned for the safety of the students and the employees, the educators in these classrooms,” said Cambreleng. …