Cetera Jones, the mother of a 7-year-old boy with special needs, has filed a federal lawsuit against an elementary school resource officer at Levi Elementary School in Memphis for allegedly using excessive force against her son. According to her, the school cop threw her son, who is referred to as LJ in the complaint, into a bookcase, slammed him to the ground, and handcuffed him after he misbehaved in class on November 24, 2024.
According to the lawsuit, a copy of which was obtained by Atlanta Black Star, the boy suffered a black eye and was left traumatized after the assault. In it, Jones said that her son’s behavioral outburst was related to his disability.
The complaint further stated that LJ’s teacher and an unnamed school resource officer (SRO) used ‘unreasonable force’ rather than crisis interventions and de-escalation tactics appropriate for a disabled second grader with special needs.
The attorneys also claimed that LJ did not pose any threat to others, given his circumstances.
When a 7-year-old misbehaves, you call a teacher — not a cop who thinks he’s auditioning for WWE.
Read more here:https://t.co/3ThAcDW7oI pic.twitter.com/musEO0QlZe
— Atlanta Black Star (@ATLBlackStar) December 15, 2025
The attorneys further argue that Levi Elementary School violated state law and regulations by “wrenching his arms behind his back”. The school also handcuffed the 7-year-old with metal handcuffs, a mechanical restraint not appropriate for his age, size, and disabilities, or the circumstances, as the boy posed no imminent risk of harm to others.
LJ was put in a “police-like” school SRO vehicle along with his special education teacher, Rhonda Mitchell, and the school principal, Nekia Patton, and taken home. Jones claims that she heard him ‘screaming in distress’ when he arrived. She then noticed the handcuffs and the black eye. Shortly after that, she called 911 and escalated the matter.
According to the lawsuit, the school resource officer and another school staff member committed assault and battery and falsely imprisoned LJ. It further states that they subjected him to ‘unnecessary pain’ and physical injury.
Jones has demanded a jury trial to determine punitive damages for the physical injuries, emotional distress, loss of educational access, and medical expenses.
She has also sought an injunction from the court restraining Memphis-Shelby County Schools and the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office from using mechanical constraints on students receiving special education services. Additionally, they want to limit the use of any physical holding restraint to true emergencies involving imminent risk of serious physical harm.
Jones has also urged the court to instruct school resource officers to receive proper training on positive behavioral supports, de-escalation, disability accommodations and trauma-informed practices. She has requested the court to monitor all instances where school resource officers use force.
The Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, meanwhile, distanced itself from the lawsuit and said that it had been wrongfully named in the lawsuit.
“The Sheriff’s Office had no SROs assigned to the school at the time of the alleged incident, nor does it currently have any SROs assigned there. The lawsuit improperly names Sheriff [Floyd] Bonner. The attorney representing the plaintiffs apparently failed to conduct adequate research and has wrongfully implicated the Sheriff.”
There’s no room for violence in a civilized society, especially when it affects a 7-year-old child with special needs. Let us hope this lawsuit paves the way for a safe environment for school children.
