Mother of Special Needs Student Assaulted by Tulsa Teaching Assistant Files Lawsuit

OKLAHOMA CITY — On Monday, Feb. 9, Gibson Dunn and Solomon Simmons Law filed a federal civil rights lawsuit on behalf of Shanta Isom and her seven-year-old son J.I., a Tulsa Public Schools (TPS) elementary student with disabilities who was assaulted by a TPS teaching assistant on a school playground in February 2024.
The lawsuit alleges that TPS and the teaching assistant violated federal disability laws and the U.S. Constitution after J.I. was dragged across the playground, slammed onto a bench, and placed in an apparent headlock. The assault was captured on video. The teaching assistant was arrested that day, later pleaded guilty to felony child abuse, and received a six-year noncustodial sentence.
Despite the seriousness of the attack, TPS failed to promptly inform J.I.’s guardian, delaying medical care and worsening the impact of the assault. The lawsuit further alleges that TPS failed to provide legally required accommodations, inadequately implemented J.I.’s Individualized Education Program, failed to properly train staff, and later denied J.I. the opportunity to reenroll in school.
The complaint also raises broader concerns about TPS’s treatment of students with disabilities, citing a pattern of neglect, inadequate safeguards, and ongoing federal scrutiny related to disparities affecting students with disabilities.
“Criminal abuse and discrimination have no place at school,” said Karin Portlock, partner at Gibson Dunn. “Not only were J.I.’s rights clearly violated by this gruesome assault, but his young life has been tragically altered by mistreatment at the hands of TPS, which failed to serve him as a student with disabilities. Our schools need to protect our children, not endanger them. We are honored to represent Ms. Isom in her fight for justice for her son.”
“This case exposes a systemic failure by Tulsa Public Schools to protect a child with disabilities who was entitled to safety, dignity, and meaningful access to education,” said Damario Solomon-Simmons of Solomon Simmons Law. “Instead, J.I. suffered violence, neglect, and exclusion in a place meant to protect him. This lawsuit enforces the basic promise of our Constitution and federal law and seeks to ensure that no TPS student with disabilities is ever placed in harm’s way or quietly pushed out of school again.”
Ms. Isom said she was proud to file the lawsuit on behalf of her son, “and make sure this does not happen to another child.”
Solomon-Simmons is a civil and human rights attorney and founder of Solomon Simmons Law with a nationwide civil rights practice. He litigates high-impact cases involving constitutional violations, disability discrimination, and systemic failures by public entities, and has represented clients and causes of national significance, including advocating for reparations for survivors of the 1921 Tulsa Race Massacre and securing citizenship rights for Black Creek Indians.