Parents sue Las Vegas school, former teacher accused of kicking student with autism

Parents filed a lawsuit against a school designed for neurodivergent learners over an incident in which a teacher is accused of kicking a nonverbal 8-year-old child with autism.

The now-former teacher, Romin Geiger, pleaded not guilty to two counts of child abuse or neglect on Aug. 22. He is scheduled for a jury trial on Feb. 24.

The child’s parents last week filed a lawsuit against Geiger and Accelerated Learning Academy, which is accused of setting policies that required employees to cover up the physical and mental abuse inflicted on them.

Geiger kicked the child on March 13, according to the complaint, which was filed Wednesday. He then picked the child up off his feet and threw him against the classroom wall, the complaint stated.

The child had visible scratches and bruises on his upper back, the complaint said.

Geiger declined to comment on the case and said that he had no knowledge of the civil lawsuit.

Accelerated Learning Academy Principal Gwen Johnson also said she had no knowledge of the lawsuit and declined to comment. She confirmed that the child still attends the school and that Geiger no longer works there.

Court records show that the summons sent to each party is still pending.

The complaint also claims that Geiger was never disciplined by Accelerated Learning. It said that Geiger had a history of using, or threatening to use, physical force.

The incident, the lawsuit said, was recorded on video and occurred in the presence of other teachers.

In an Aug. 6 hearing for Geiger’s criminal case, the child’s mother testified that the family had received a call from the learning clinic and that she had come in and watched the video. She also described seeing a cut on the child’s shoulder.

According to Wednesday’s lawsuit, the school had not provided the family with records related to the incident.

Contact Katie Futterman at kfutterman@reviewjournal.com. Follow @ktfutts on X and @katiefutterman.bsky.