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Michigan Teacher, School Sued Over Special-ed Student Stuck In Chair

GOODRICH (WWJ/AP) - The family of a special education student is suing a Genesee County school district, a few years after a teacher failed to immediately help a boy who was trapped in a chair.

The 2013 incident made headlines in 2014 when officials learned that Goodrich teacher Nicole McVey was involved in making a cell phone video of the 5th grade boy instead of helping him after he got stuck trying to squeeze through the back of a chair.

McVey can be heard on the video seemingly taunting the student in a classroom full of kids as he is struggling in the chair and crying.

"Do you wanna get tasered?" she asked.

The boy, who has Asperger's syndrome — an autism spectrum disorder — was 10 years old at the time.

Family attorney Patrick Greenfelder said McVey played the video at least three times for her class on a large-screen television.

"Then the teacher and the principal sent the video out to not only other teachers but some of their buddies, I guess. Just for laughs, apparently," Greenfielder told WWJ's Sandra McNeil.

The principal, who is heard on the video saying the situation is not an emergency, resigned shortly after the incident.

The boy's family filed a lawsuit Friday in federal court, saying McVey and the Goodrich district had violated his civil rights and an anti-bullying law.

McVey said she made a "significant mistake." She was suspended for a year.

Emails seeking comment on the lawsuit weren't immediately returned.

TM and © Copyright 2016 CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2016 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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