Nationwide — An African American father from Ball, Louisiana, who identifies as Courtland, is suing the local school district over surveillance video footage that shows a teacher allegedly grabbing and throwing his 5-year-old son in 2023. He says the incident left his son traumatized and led him to take legal action.
“My child is traumatized; he can’t go back to school,” Courtland told WLBT.
Surveillance video from Ball Elementary School shows a classroom shortly after the school day ended at around 3:13 p.m. The teacher, identified as Stephanie Robertson, appears to be on her phone while students remain inside the room. One child walks toward the exit while another sits on top of a desk.
The situation escalates when the boy climbs onto the desk again. Robertson approaches him, pulls him down, and he falls to the floor. Moments later, the child moves away, but Robertson grabs him by the collar and leads him out into the hallway.
Courtland says the incident did not end there, though officials did not release additional hallway footage due to the ongoing lawsuit. Robertson later resigned from her teaching position and said her resignation was not tied to a single incident but to multiple factors.
State records show Robertson still holds an active teaching license valid through 2027 with no suspension or disciplinary penalty. Local police in the Town of Ball issued a misdemeanor citation for simple battery, which was forwarded to the mayor’s court, a system that typically handles minor local offenses.
A Louisiana attorney who reviewed the footage said the case should have been treated more seriously and moved to district court. He also questioned why the matter stayed at a citation level instead of leading to an arrest and formal booking.
Prosecutors later transferred the case to the Rapides Parish District Attorney after Courtland pushed for upgraded charges, including cruelty to a juvenile. Courtland has since expanded his lawsuit to include the school board, the Town of Ball, and the district attorney’s office, saying his son remains unable to return to school. The school board has not issued a comment on the case.