Parents sue Long Beach teacher amid abuse allegations

The parents of a developmentally disabled Long Beach student filed a $10 million federal lawsuit Thursday over allegations that a special education teacher abused students. "It's disgusting what went

News 12 Staff

Apr 22, 2016, 3:35 AM

Updated 3,069 days ago

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The parents of a developmentally disabled Long Beach student filed a $10 million federal lawsuit Thursday over allegations that a special education teacher abused students.
"It's disgusting what went on," says Todd Greengus. 
He filed the suit along with his wife, Kim Greengus. They say their son, who has severe autism, was among the students who Lisa Weitzman and two aides abused. The parents say the physical, sexual and verbal abuse took place between 2009 and 2015.
Weitzman was a teacher at Long Beach Middle School.
Todd and Kim Greengus say their son, Bobby, is non-verbal and couldn't tell them what was going on.
"He couldn't tell us the everyday torture he was going through," Kim Greengus says. "I knew something as a mother. I knew something wasn't sitting right with him."
She says he began acting out and resisted going to school after moving from elementary school to the middle school.
Weitzman, the aides and administrators were all named in the suit.
Brad Gerstman, a lawyer for the couple, accuses administrators of having been aware of the abuse and covering it up.
As News 12 Long Island has previously reported, five other families whose developmentally disabled children were in the same classroom filed a separate lawsuit three weeks ago.
Those parents say they received an anonymous letter describing what transpired.
Gerstman says the letter detailed abuse that included hitting and restraining children, locking them in the bathroom, verbally tormenting them and additional allegations of sexual abuse.
"I want them all punished," Todd Greengus says. "They all belong in jail."