Mom: School forced son to squat 30 minutes until he soiled himself

A former Coolidge Middle School student claims a counselor and social worker forced him to remain in a squatting position with his arms extended holding two heavy books for nearly 30 minutes until he urinated on himself, according to a lawsuit filed last week against South Holland School District 151.

Leslie Connie said her son Isaac was punished after his friends made a mess in the lunchroom in March 2008. Isaac was told to run laps, but he couldn’t finish because he suffers from asthma and foot problems.

Then a counselor, identified in court papers as “Mr. Gaines,” took the boy to his office — which school kids call “the holding cell” — to squat and hold up heavy English books, Connie said.

At one point, a social worker named “Ms. Mitchell” supervised the punishment. Two students in Gaines’ office at the time said, “Oh no! He’s doing that to you, too.”

Isaac urinated on himself after not being allowed to use the bathroom while being punished. He was forced to return to class soaked in urine, according to court papers.

The lawsuit also names Coolidge Principal Patricia Payne as a defendant. She did not return calls seeking comment. District 151 Supt. Doug Hamilton declined to comment.

Connie said “Mr. Gaines” and “Ms. Mitchell” no longer work for the district, but she still felt a duty to file the lawsuit.

“I believe that this kind of punishment is more widespread than they are willing to say, and they need to be stopped,” said Connie, a special education teacher at Evanston High School. “There’s no way this takes place in that building with two faculty members involved and two kids in the room and no one knows about it.”

Isaac has since suffered from extreme anxiety, panic attacks, recurring nightmares, frequent flashbacks and sleepwalking, according to the court filing. Connie said her son now attends a private school.