Teachers hurt autistic boy, father’s suit claims

The father of an 8-year-old autistic boy is suing the Ocean View School District, two of its teachers and the city of Huntington Beach, alleging that the teachers’ use of an aggressive restraining technique hurt the child physically and emotionally.

Huntington Beach resident Robert Velasquez is asking for more than $25,000 on behalf of his son for alleged negligence, false imprisonment and infringement on his civil rights, according to the suit.

Filed in May in Orange County Superior Court, the suit accuses former Lake View Elementary School teacher Gina Messig and teaching assistant Mai Vo of using “prone restraint” — holding someone face-down — on the boy without proper training, as well as the district for failing to train its teachers in its correct use.

The alleged incident took place in a Lake View Elementary School special education class.

District officials said they properly train all their special education teachers, but would not comment further on the suit.

Efforts to reach Messig and Vo for comment were unsuccessful.

According to school reports, the child was running around the classroom and tried to run out the door, then grabbed another student and pushed her to the ground, school reports state. He was throwing things and trying to hit teachers, the reports state.

The teachers held the child face-down on the floor by restraining his leg and arm, the school report states.

Velasquez has said that doing so broke his child’s nose and gave him lasting emotional damage.

MICHAEL ALEXANDER may be reached at (714) 966-4618 or at michael.alexander@latimes.com.