Corrie Horan, the mother of the 7-year-old special needs student who was allegedly attacked in class at Washington Carver Montessori IPS School 87 while a teacher filmed the incident, has issued a statement addressing the harrowing ordeal.
“Every child deserves to learn in an environment that is safe and nurturing,” Horan stated, according to Fox 59. “I am committed to ensuring that the tragedy my child endured serves as a wake-up call for all involved in our education system. It is my deepest hope that this
painful episode leads to significant changes that will protect countless other children from ever experiencing similar harm or having to go through what our family did. This is not just about my child; it’s about all the children in our schools.”As previously covered by BLACK ENTERPRISE, the family filed a lawsuit on April 16, alleging that Indiana teacher Julious Johnican orchestrated a “Fight Club” scenario. The suit stated that Johnican encouraged the boy’s classmates to physically assault the 7-year-old, allowing them to punch, hit, and
kick the second-grader. The incident has reportedly caused the child emotional distress and PTSD. According to the allegations, over three months, Johnican instigated, facilitated, and recorded physical abuse of the student.In the footage, Johnican can be heard egging on another student to beat the boy while failing to intervene.
Fox 59 reported that for weeks, Horan’s son expressed fear of attending school due to the beatings and bullying. Attorneys for the child stated that despite her repeated visits to the school seeking answers after her son disclosed the abuse, she was informed “he was lying.”
The boy’s legal team is advocating for policy reforms, including mandatory abuse prevention training and transparent procedures for reporting and handling misconduct claims. Attorneys allege the boy alerted the administration about Johnican as early as September 2023, but “no follow-up was initiated…and classroom supervision remained unchanged.”
The video was reported on Nov. 1, 2023, before the school prompted contact with the Department of Child Services. However, “Johnican was simply allowed to resign,” attorneys stated, adding, “As of now,
Johnican retains an active teaching license… “no entity, including IPS, has taken any action to attempt to revoke it.” The family fears that failure to revoke Johnican’s teaching license poses “a potential risk to more students.”The Indianapolis Metropolitan Police Department is conducting an ongoing investigation into these allegations.
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