Rhode Island: ACLU Sues Narragansett Over “UnLawful Assault and Arrest” of Special Education Student

VIDEO: ACLU Sues Narragansett Over “UnLawful Assault and Arrest” of Special Education Student

The ACLU of Rhode Island announced Thursday that cooperating attorney Amato DeLuca filed suit in federal court seeking monetary damages on behalf of a former Narragansett High School student with special education needs who was "thrown to the ground, choked and falsely arrested by a school resource officer (SRO) over a rude hand gesture the student gave the SRO." A videotaped record of the incident, which occurred two years ago, shows SRO Kyle Rooney forcefully slamming to the floor and restraining 11th-grader Michael Blanchette for a few minutes before removing him from the school in handcuffs. “This extremely disturbing incident ...

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https://www.golocalprov.com/news/vi...ver-unlawful-assault-and-arrest-of-special-ed

 

Narragansett officer accused in lawsuit of excessive force, battery on student

The Rhode Island American Civil Liberties Union affiliate is suing the Town of Narragansett, accusing a school resource officer of violating a special needs student’s rights by pinning him to the ground and choking him after he made an obscene hand gesture. The ACLU filed suit in U.S. District Court Wednesday on behalf of Michael Blanchette, a junior at Narragansett High School with an individualized education plan at the time of the incident in February 2018. The lawsuit argues that School Resource Officer Kyle Rooney violated Blanchette’s right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures, that he was unlawfully ...

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https://www.providencejournal.com/n...lawsuit-of-excessive-force-battery-on-student

 

ACLU Sues Narragansett After School Resource Officer Accused of Using Excessive Force

The ACLU of RI is seeking monetary damages for a former Narragansett High School student with special needs, after an incident with a school resource officer was caught on tape in 2018. The ACLU said the student was thrown to the ground, choked, and falsely arrested after the student gave a rude hand gesture to the SRO. The videotaped incident shows the 11th-grade student, Michael Blanchette in an altercation with SRO Kyle Rooney. According to the ACLU, the incident arose when Rooney confronted Michael about whether he was allowed to be in the hallway at the time. Michael told the ...

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https://www.abc6.com/aclu-sues-narr...rce-officer-accused-of-using-excessive-force/