"It's supposedly the best school in the area," said a Muncie mother of Burris Laboratory School which is run by Ball State University.
"It's supposedly the best school in the area," said a Muncie mother of Burris Laboratory School, which is run by Ball State University.
The mom didn't want her name known or her face shown on television, she said for her son's sake and to protect his identity.
That's because the mother has filed a lawsuit against Burris, the same institution she once thought was the key to her son's academic future. "They offered opportunities that no other school is able to do," she said.
In the lawsuit, the mother has alleged her son and three other children had another opportunity at school that no child should have - the opportunity to view pornography on school computers and iPads.
"There were no limits on internet. There were no restrictions at all," explained the mother's description of her son's internet access at school, adding she has filters in place at home.
That's not where the allegations end though. The mother said the school called her and said she needed to talk to her son about appropriate behavior after he was caught in the bathroom with other boys his age, doing something inappropriate.
"They just said it was an inappropriate game in the bathroom and that I needed to talk to him," explained the mom.
A call from the Department of Children's Services told her more.
According to the mother, investigators told her children were caught in a sexually-oriented situation in the bathroom.
This mother said when the story came out and another parent filed a lawsuit, her son became a target of students and teachers.
"He was being blamed for everything you could possibly imagine, and he was terrified to go to school. He would beg to stay home from school cause kids were so mean to him," said the mom.
Ball State said in a statement issued last fall, when the first lawsuit was filed, that police, DCS and the university investigated allegations of inappropriate behavior by four second graders in December 2011.
The university's statement said, in part:
"The allegations bear no resemblance to the evidence or results of the investigations of the university or those of the agencies to which it was reported. From this point forward, the university will vigorously defend these unwarranted allegations."
This mother, and her lawsuit, beg to differ.
"I just want someone to understand what they have done and accept responsibility for what they have done, rather than blame a seven-year-old child," said the mom.
According to the Burris Laboratory School Student Handbook, bullying is prohibited.
It also details the school's computer usage policy, which prohibits students from viewing pornographic material on school computers or tablets.
The computer policy does say, though, that even if the school limits what students can see on the internet, they are not responsible if students do not follow the policy and view inappropriate material.
