Who is Cathleen DeGarmo? NYC teacher sues DoE after repeated attacks by elementary school student
NEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK: A second grader allegedly attacked Cathleen DeGarmo, a teacher, in a Queens classroom multiple times. DeGarmo has reportedly filed a $2 million lawsuit against the city Department of Education (DoE), alleging that the organization failed to defend her from a violent student at a Fresh Meadows elementary-middle school P4 at least three times in 2021.
DeGarmo allegedly suffered "severe" injuries, including tears in both shoulders, while working as a teacher once in September 2021 and twice in November 2021. During one of the instances, the student started headbutting and scratching DeGarmo in the shoulders and chest, according to court documents. Another incident saw the student continuously punching the teacher. DeGarmo, 58, who is a special education instructor, asserted that the DOE failed to inform her about the student's history of violence and disruptive behavior. She continues by charging the school with failing to monitor the unnamed student or remove him from the special education program in the wake of the incidents. The school is also charged with negligence in the case for failing to provide teachers with assistants or aides who could help maintain classroom safety.
