Teacher Slapped A Special Needs 4-Year-Old, Mother Alleges In Lawsuit (VIDEO)

A mother is suing the Los Angeles Unified School District, alleging a teacher slapped her special needs 4-year-old in the face.

Kristin Knight told CBS she witnessed her son Hunter’s special ed teacher slap him. She said she was walking Hunter, a student at Knollwood Elementary Pre-K, to their car when the teacher tried to soothe him by giving him a bear hug from behind.

“At this point, I’ve already squatted down to his level and saying, ‘Calm down, calm down,’" Knight said. "And he nips her and she steps back and goes, ‘You bit me?’, places her left hand on his head, and proceeds to slap him across the face, leaving a welt and a bruise.”

She took photos after the incident and said the teacher didn’t deny it. “You’re trained to deal with special needs children. And it’s not okay to lay your hand on anyone. For [the school] to tell me to bring him back and move on? Really?," she said.

Knight has not taken Hunter back to the school since the incident, has resigned her position as PTA president, and has filed a claim hoping the teacher will be removed from the classroom.

An LAUSD spokesperson told CBS that they are still in the process of reviewing the claim and unable to comment at this time.