A New Mexico family is suing Albuquerque Public Schools after their daughter was allegedly injured in a sword fight at school.
Arnold and Judy Gachupin filed a lawsuit against Albuquerque Public Schools, as well as teacher Loviatta Mitchell and Manuel Alzaga, the vice principal of Volcano Vista High School, last week.
Court Heard
According to sources, the parents allege that their daughter was seriously injured after Mitchell brought swords into a classroom and had students fight each other with them in May 2022.
Per report, the complaint claims during the teenage girl’s turn fighting another student with the swords, she suffered a ‘large and deep laceration across her right hand and wrist.’
Now, almost two years later, her nerves and tendons ‘remain damaged,’ the document continued.
The Impact of the Incident
‘Her wrist and hand are permanently injured,’ the family’s attorney, Jessica Hernandez, said in the complaint, per NBC News. ‘Those injuries cause her ongoing daily pain, as well as cause her to be unable to perform many basic daily tasks.’
According to Albuquerque Journal, the complaint alleges that after the incident, Mitchell screamed ‘I’m in trouble!’ and had the students delete any videos they’d taken of the incident.
Only after the girl began to feel ‘nauseous and weak from blood loss’ did another student alert the school’s administration, and 911 was called, the outlet reported.
The complaint claims this was roughly 30 minutes after she had been injured.
The student — who was 16 at the time and is now 17 — has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder and her wrist and hand are permanently damaged, per the outlet.
The family’s attorney said in the complaint that the injury has changed her client’s ‘entire life’ and has been ‘discouraging and depressing.’
Per NBC News, the complaint also claims that a Volcano Vista High School report allegedly written by Alzaga described the incident as ‘a lesson on metal and melding’ that led one student to ‘accidentally cut’ the 16-year-old.
Alzaga allegedly checked the box ‘No’ when asked if the incident violated school rules.
