Mom says son with special needs had his elbow broken, dislocated by a teacher's aide

ONTARIO, Calif. -- Christine Dupaquier is sounding the alarm after her 12-year-old son suffered a broken elbow while at school. Her son, Evan, was enrolled in the special needs program at Dorothy Gibson High School in Ontario, California, for the summer.

Last Wednesday, Dupaquier went to the school after she said she received a call from a school official informing her that her son had been injured.

"Evan was in the back with the principal and the nurse came out and stated that he was injured. And she felt he would need an X-ray done at the ER."

At the hospital, a doctor told her Evan's elbow was broken and dislocated.

"She (the doctor) said this is a bad break and it was from one side of the elbow to completely the other side of the elbow - straight across," she said.

Dupaquier said she was horrified when her son told her how it happened. According to Evan, he and another student got into an argument that turned physical.

Dupaquier said her son told her he was backing away when he was assaulted by a teacher's aide.

"The staff member came from behind, didn't identify himself or anything, just put his arm behind his back, twisted it (and) took him to the ground with his full body weight."

It didn't end there, Dupaquier said the teacher's aide then forced an apology from her son.

"The staff member put his elbow on Evan's face with pressure forcing him into saying sorry. He asked him to say sorry four times as Evan was crying for help."

Dupaquier said the school never informed her a teacher's aide caused her son's injuries which also included an abrasion to his face.

A spokesperson with the San Bernardino County Office of Education, which operates the special needs school, said an investigation is underway.

A teacher's aide had been placed on administrative leave; however, officials would not confirm if it was the same aide involved in the altercation.

Dupaquier has now hired a personal injury attorney to investigate what happened.

"As a parent, I would want to know if this person was around my child. If he ever hurt you know has done this before."

She said her son is at home recovering from surgery to repair his elbow which required three pins.

"He is realizing he is not going to be able to do a lot this summer, and I think that is really hard on him," she said.