WHITEHOUSE, Texas (TXAN 24) — Whitehouse Independent School District (WISD) is at the center of a federal lawsuit filed by Miranda Wilt, the mother of two disabled children, A.W. and R.W. The lawsuit, filed in the Eastern District of Texas, accuses the district of failing to provide legally required care and supervision under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), leading to multiple injuries, emotional trauma, and civil rights violations.
The suit names several WISD staff members as being directly responsible for the alleged negligence and misconduct. These include special education teachers, nurses, and administrators who were entrusted with the care of R.W. and A.W., both of whom suffer from autism. The staff members named in the lawsuit include teachers Christi Wendt, Katelyn Vasallo, and Ashley Rowland, who are accused of failing to supervise R.W. during multiple incidents that resulted in injuries, including elopement from school grounds, physical injuries, and ingestion of harmful substances. Nurses Rachael McEuen and Jodi Bullard are also named for allegedly failing to notify Wilt about her children’s injuries and not providing proper medical care.
In one particularly alarming incident, R.W. reportedly ingested a chemical cleaner in Daryn Bay’s classroom, resulting in chemical burns and the need for emergency medical treatment. Wilt claims that despite providing medical documentation that her children required one-on-one supervision, the school failed to assign proper aides, leading to the repeated incidents.
The lawsuit also alleges that administrators, including Principal Laurie Blain and Assistant Principal Ashley Rowe, were involved in retaliation efforts. After Wilt raised concerns about the treatment of her children, school staff allegedly made false reports to Child Protective Services (CPS), accusing her of child abuse. Wilt claims these reports were made in bad faith and were part of a broader effort to silence her complaints about her children’s mistreatment. One such instance involved teacher Katelyn Vasallo, who allegedly threatened Wilt that CPS would be called repeatedly until her children were removed from the school district. These accusations were later proven false, but Wilt says the damage was already done.
Wilt further claims that her children were subjected to bullying and harassment by school staff, including instances where A.W. was taunted and called derogatory names like “GAY” in the classroom. The suit also describes physical abuse involving the improper use of restraint techniques by aides in the special education program.
The lawsuit cites violations of multiple federal laws, including Title IX, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, all of which require schools to provide students with disabilities the accommodations and support necessary for a safe and equitable education. Despite repeated complaints to school officials and requests for video footage of the incidents, WISD allegedly refused to investigate or address these concerns.
As a direct result of the alleged negligence and harassment, A.W. and R.W. were withdrawn from WISD and are now homeschooled. Wilt seeks justice for the harm caused to her children and aims to hold the district accountable for its failures to protect students with disabilities.
Whitehouse ISD has not yet made a public statement regarding the lawsuit. This case raises serious concerns about the treatment of vulnerable students within the district and will be closely watched as it progresses through the courts.
TXAN 24 News will continue to follow this story and provide updates as new information becomes available.
Thank you for reporting on this! As an autistic adult that went to WISD, I am mortified. However, the students don’t “suffer from” autism; they are autistic or have autism. The wording of “suffers from” implies that they will never be able to live fulfilling lives because of their autism. Even students with higher access needs, like the ones being described here, can have happy lives and find success. I hope that moving forward, as this case progresses, this wording is avoided. Thank you again for bringing light to this!