Wichita-area vision-impaired student settles against school for $219,000.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

February 17, 2022Kansas City, Kan. –  A lawsuit stemming from the battery of a blind, developmentally disabled student at a Wichita-area basketball game has been settled for $219,000. A Wellington-area family brought the lawsuit against the Wellington School District (USD 353) and several individuals associated with the school district.

The settlement came after the issuance of a 105-page opinion from Judge Daniel Crabtree of the U.S. District Court for the District of Kansas in March of 2021, who found that the student’s allegations were sufficient under the law to move forward: “Plaintiffs allege abuse that a reasonable jury could find brutal, inhumane, and conscience shocking.”

“Striking and then shouting and threatening a child in Reed Saunders’s shoes—who poses no provocation or threat himself, cannot know why he’s being hit, and lacks the physical ability to see it coming, call for help, flee, or protect himself—presents a disproportionality relative to the need presented that is grotesque,” the Court wrote in its opinion.

P.J. Saunders, the mother of the student, Reed Saunders, stated she would continue to press for improved services for developmentally disabled students in the State of Kansas. “Everyone must do their part to improve the level of care that these students deserve and need,” she said.

Proceeds from the settlement will go into a trust for Reed that will help with his needs for the rest of his life.“We believe this is the right outcome for the Saunders family and for Reed,” said Dan Curry, Saunders’ attorney. “He deserves it.”

The Saunders family was represented by Dan Curry and Sarah Brown of Brown & Curry, LLC, in Kansas City, Mo.

The Court's order denying summary judgment can be found here.

For information, contact Brown & Curry, LLC at (816) 756-5458