Settlement proposed in civil case of ex-Shawnee Mission teacher who kicked kindergartner
Lawyers representing a child who was kicked by a Shawnee Mission schoolteacher during an incident captured on a school surveillance camera have arrived at a partial settlement agreement in their civil lawsuit, federal court records show.
In a motion filed Friday in the District of Kansas, lawyers for the child and her mother, referred to only by their initials, wrote that the agreement concerns Crystal Smith, the former teacher. Additional claims remain pending against the Shawnee Mission School District.
In February 2019, Smith was working as a teacher at the Bluejacket-Flint Elementary School when she was caught on surveillance cameras kicking a 5-year-old girl who had hidden herself in a bookshelf in the school library. The video showed Smith kick the child in the back after other students had left the area, and another school employee’s back was turned.
On the day of the kicking, the student’s mother contacted the school to make a report after her daughter told her what happened. Smith, who had started working for the district that school year, was placed on administrative leave and subsequently fired after the security footage was reviewed.
Smith was later charged with misdemeanor battery in Johnson County Circuit Court. She pleaded guilty in December 2020. She was sentenced to 30 days in jail but was granted one year of probation.
The civil lawsuit against Smith and the school district was opened in 2019. It claims the girl’s civil rights were violated, and the district was negligent in its decision to hire Smith.
Details of the agreement are not outlined in the court record. According to the motion, the settlement involving Smith contains a confidentiality clause. Attorneys are seeking the court’s approval, a step required in civil cases involving minors under Kansas law, which occurs outside of public view through a meeting in the judge’s chambers or via email.
