Lawsuit accuses CCSD teacher of putting tape around first grader’s mouth

A mother has filed a lawsuit against the Clark County School District alleging that a Sunrise Acres Elementary School teacher put tape around her daughter’s mouth during class.

The parent — identified in court documents only as “Grace Doe” — filed the lawsuit May 1 in Clark County District Court against her daughter’s former teacher, Rabia Khan, and the school district. The case was moved to U.S. District Court on Monday.

According to the complaint, the girl “lost valuable educational instruction time” and was “forced to uproot her life and move to an entirely different school during the school year in order to try to find a safe educational environment.”

The complaint also alleges that the school district failed to adequately train and supervise its employees.

The district said Wednesday it does not comment on pending litigation.

Henderson-based Lagomarsino Law is representing the mother and child.

The girl, identified as “Jane Doe” in court documents, was in first grade at Sunrise Acres Elementary in central Las Vegas at the time of the alleged incident.

In September 2022, Khan placed Scotch tape around the girl’s mouth because she was talking in class, the complaint alleges. Court documents also allege that Khan placed tape around a classmate’s mouth on another occasion.

Khan’s action served “no legitimate educational or other purpose” and was “inflicted solely to punish and humiliate” the girl, the complaint alleges.

After the incident, the girl “told her mother that she no longer wanted to go to school” — something she had never said before, according to the complaint.

A Sunrise Acres administrator called the mother four days after the incident to inform her that Khan had placed tape over the girl’s mouth during class, according to court documents.

The same day, the Clark County School District Police Department notified the mother that Khan had been removed from the classroom.

The complaint also states that the Department of Family Services began investigating Khan’s conduct related to the incident.

Khan is still employed at Sunrise Acres, according to court documents. She’s listed in the school’s staff directory, as well as the Nevada Department of Education’s licensure search website, as a first grade teacher at Sunrise Acres for the school year that ended in late May.

The girl’s mother is seeking damages in excess of $15,000.

Contact Julie Wootton-Greener at jgreener@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2921. Follow @julieswootton on Twitter.