Montravious Thomas lost use of his leg after his teacher Bryant Mosley reportedly slammed him to the ground when he tried to leave class. The incident occurred on September 12, 2016. Mosley at the time was teaching at a school in Columbus, Georgia for students with behavioral issues. Thomas was enrolled in the Muscogee County School District’s AIM program, which hosts children who have been temporarily removed from their regular schools due to disruptive behavior, when the incident happened. Thomas, 13, was assigned to Edgewood Student Services Center and was previously enrolled at East Columbus Middle School
Mosley allegedly threw Thomas to the floor three times and then placed the injured and limping student on a school bus without seeking medical care. Mosley “had to physically restrain a student… due to behavioral issues,” according to a Columbus Police Department report.
The family’s lawyer, Renee Tucker, is now preparing a $5 million lawsuit. Tucker represents Thomas and his mother, Lawanda, who the boy was trying to call when Mosley, a behavioral specialist, physically assaulted him and threw him to the floor repeatedly for an “unknown reason.”
Tucker also claims the school’s assistant principal Eddie Powell and a school resource officer were witnesses. Powell reportedly witnessed the violence and the school resource officer didn’t file a report of the incident.
When Thomas arrived home, his mother took him to a hospital in Columbus, Columbus Regional Medical Center, where he was airlifted to a hospital in Atlanta.
Mosley is no longer employed as a contractor at the school. Thomas’ mother Lawanda lost her job at a temporary agency because she’s her son primary caregiver.
The physical assault caused permanent nerve damage to Thomas’ leg. An “inside source” informed the family’s attorney that the school has the incident recorded on video so she submitted an open records request to the Muscogee County School board attorney on Sept. 26 requesting the footage and documentation of the teacher’s training, the teacher and assistant principal’s personnel record, the rules and regulations for physically restraining students, policies for transporting students on school buses, and policies and procedures about rendering aid to students.
Update: Montravious Thomas had his leg amputated on Tuesday, Oct. 18, 2016 at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston in Atlanta. His four-hour surgery was a success. His knee had shifted out of place.
