Lawsuit: Central KY school employee struck ‘mentally helpless’ child and videotaped it
The unnamed parents of a Madison County School District student have filed a lawsuit against school district officials, alleging a paraeducator struck and pulled the hair of their child who was “mentally helpless.”
The staff members then videotaped the act and disseminated it, according to the lawsuit which was filed May 8 in Madison Circuit Court.
The parents are suing a long list of Madison County school officials and employees, including the Madison County Board of Education, Madison County Superintendent Randy Neeley, Director of Special Education Shanna Reeder, Special Education Coordinator Chad Coffey, White Hall Elementary School Principal Ashley Cornelison, White Hall teacher Deanna Barton, White Hall paraeducator Beverly Thompson-Vanwinkle, teacher Harold Prewitt, and paraeducator Isabelle Kleckner.
Jerry Gilbert, an attorney for the school district, said Tuesday the district does not comment on pending litigation.
The couple’s daughter was a student at Whitehall Elementary School, and was described in the suit as being under 12 and having a disability.
Thompson-Vanwinkle allegedly “administered humiliating, degrading, unduly severe, and cruel punishment to the child,” and “recorded the child without consent and disseminated that video electronically,” the lawsuit said.
“The conduct of Defendants was so far beyond the bounds of a decent civilized society that such conduct was outrageous and intended to cause severe emotional distress to Plaintiffs and did in fact cause such severe emotional distress,” the lawsuit said.
The child was only identified in the lawsuit as Paisley Doe, a pseudonym.
The video appeared to show Vanwinkle “pull Paisley Doe’s hair and strike Paisley Doe,” the lawsuit alleged.
“Barton sprayed Paisley Doe with a water bottle on multiple occasions,” the lawsuit said.
The lawsuit is asking for punitive and other damages.
Herald-Leader reporter Chris Leach contributed to this story.
This story was originally published May 19, 2026 at 2:29 PM.