Parents who are upset over alleged abuse at Horace Mann Middle School gathered Tuesday to protest at the Kanawha County Board of Education, hoping to urge the board to release videos that potentially show the alleged abuse. WCHS TV said the protest comes as a new lawsuit was filed Friday against Horace Mann teacher aides Walter Pannell and Lillian Branham and teacher Anthony Wilson. The Kanawha County Board of Education also is named as a defendant. The lawsuit was filed on behalf of James and April Woods, the parents of a child with autism who was in a special education class at Horace Mann during the last school year.
According to the lawsuit, review of video footage revealed several instances of physical abuse upon the child and other special needs children. In May, Pannell, Branham, and Wilson were charged with battery in connection with alleged abuse incidents that involved two other students at Horace Mann.