BOARDMAN, Ohio - A former Boardman teacher’s aide is denying claims made in a federal lawsuit filed by a woman who alleges that her son was the victim of assault and emotional distress while in class.

Former aide Kieran Curl has filed a response to the lawsuit filed by Sheli Myers on behalf of her 11-year-old special needs son.

In the lawsuit, Myers outlines a series of alleged school incidents from September 2020, through January of 2021, when the former Boardman Intermediate School teacher’s aide Curl allegedly stapled a note to the boy.

The lawsuit alleges that Curl stapled the note to the child’s head and teacher Patricia Passarelli “dug the staples” out of the child’s head and removed the note which was a reminder for the child’s mother to make sure he comes to school with drinking water.

In her response, Curl denies making any inappropriate statements to the student and further denies taking him out of the classroom to yell at him or call him a liar.

Curl also denies Myer’s claim that she stapled a note to the child’s head.

The response claims Curl is protected by immunity and the statute of limitations, further asking that the mother’s complaint be dismissed.

The alleged incident, which was covered by local news media, elicited a statement from a prosecutor who claimed that evidence showed that the note was not stapled to the child’s head, but his hair.

Instead of pursuing criminal charges, the prosecutor said Curl agreed to resign.

The lawsuit, which also names teacher Patricia Passarelli and the school district, asks for a jury trial and asks for unspecified compensatory and punitive damages.

Neither Passarelli, nor the school district has filed a response to the lawsuit.