RACELAND, Ky. (FOX 56) — Raceland-Worthington Independent Schools is under fire in a recent lawsuit that accuses multiple school employees of the abuse and neglect of a student with autism.
Kristen Gleason is a mother to five children with disabilities. According to court documents filed in July, four of her children were enrolled at Raceland-Worthington Middle School for the 2023-2024 school year.
Once school started, she reportedly began noticing a “significant” change in behavior in one of her children, who is diagnosed with autism, communication receptive disorder, and echolalia, despite always enjoying school before.
The child, identified in the lawsuit as O.G., typically communicates by using repeated phrases mimicking the tone or actions accompanying the phrase he initially heard. Court documents claim that O.G. began regressing, experiencing disrupted sleep, appetite loss, and concerning vocal patterns.
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Beginning in August and continuing through October 2023, Gleason recalled O.G. using a splitting, teeth-clenched tone to say things like the following while holding his ears with brows clinched and a scowl.
“I hate you!”
“Stop whining.”
“I swear, I’m tired of this crap!”
“Stupid idiot.”
“Sit down and shut up!”
“You know what I’m talking about.”
“Listen. To. Me.”
Afterwards, court documents note that O.G. would begin to cry. Around September, he began to beg not to go to school, saying things like, “Please, no school. Ms. Horn really mad, really mean. I’m so scared.” Because O.G. couldn’t explain what was happening, in October, Gleason decided to send a recording device in his backpack.
The device captured the teacher and multiple aides screaming at each of Gleason’s four special needs children over five days, depicting multiple instances of aggression and intimidation. According to the lawsuit, listening back to the recording, Gleason could hear smacking noises, children whimpering or crying, threats, and the school employees discussing their actions.
On one occasion, special education teacher Erin Horn and aides Jake Dixon, Horn, and Brandon Elkins could be heard discussing times they’ve had to physically handle children, including O.G. Horn reportedly said that her handling may not have been the “safest position, but then I was like, screw it.”
The lawsuit states that Elkins chimed in, claiming that he’s “handled O.G. like a pro. Horn can often be heard calling for Dixon to “handle” the children and reportedly taunting them about his arrival.
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By October 13, 2023, court documents report that Gleason has reported what’s captured on the recordings multiple times. Six days later, a paraeducator reported that it appeared that O.G.’s bag had been searched for the recorder.
Gleason stated that she’d been in communication with Principal Kyle Russell, Special Education Director Beckie Brown, and Superintendent Larry Coldiron on multiple occasions, pleading that her allegations not be taken lightly. Eventually, she pulled O.G. from school.
Director of Pupil Personnel Kristen Waller, Coldiron, and Russell contacted her in November, saying that their internal investigation found the claims were unsubstantiated. According to the lawsuit, Gleason reported what happened to the Cabinet for Health and Family Services.
Around February 2024, the cabinet’s investigation substantiated threats of physical abuse, per court documents.
In the July 31, 2025, lawsuit, Gleason accuses the district and its employees of negligence, negligent infliction of emotional distress, outrage, and wrongful expulsion, among other charges.
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Court documents show that the plaintiffs hope for a trial by jury.
FOX 56 has reached out to the school district for a statement but has not received a response.
None of the defendants named in the lawsuit has been criminally charged.
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