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Federal Civil Rights lawsuit filed against Rockford Public Schools; alleges school officer body-slammed student

The Rockford student's mother & grandmother along with the family's legal team
Peter Medlin
The Rockford student's mother & grandmother along with the family's legal team

On Wednesday, a Chicago-based law firm filed a federal civil rights suit against Rockford Public Schools on behalf of an RPS student and his family. The suit alleges that a school resource officer used unreasonable & lethal force against a 14-year-old student and that the district tried to cover it up.

The lawsuit says that in September of last year, Paris Moore, a freshman who stands less than 5-feet tall, was body-slammed by a school resource officer at Auburn High School. Security cam footage shows officer Bradley Lauer slamming Moore’s head on the concrete floor, knocking him unconscious and fracturing his skull. The 14-year-old’s offense? Skipping part of his second-period class and walking down the hall.

His grandmother, Diane Morgan, picked him up from the school that day.

“I was so angry, I just want something done with this officer. He could have killed my grandson. And it's not even a matter of just him -- any other child,” she said. “He has no business being in the schools using force like that. I just want something done. To me, he shouldn't even be in the police force.”

Paris was handcuffed and put in a wheelchair. She says that school administrators told her there was a little scuffle and that her grandson slipped and fell. Morgan says that was just the beginning of what the suit calls a cover-up. The family’s lawyer, Al Hofeld Jr., says the district hasn’t given them an incident report and has refused to allow Paris to transfer schools.

They’re calling on the district to suspend officer Lauer pending investigation and re-consider its School Resource Officer Program.

In a statement to WNIJ, Rockford Public Schools says they’re unable to comment.

Peter joins WNIJ as a graduate of North Central College. He is a native of Sandwich, Illinois.