Opinion ID: 797137
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: clearly established law prohibiting physical abuse of public school students—defendant lisanti

Text: 26 By 2002-2003 when Preschooler II was allegedly abused, the right of public school students to be free from excessive force imposed by their teachers was uncontroverted. As early as 1977, the Supreme Court stated that public school students have a constitutional due process right to be free from, and to obtain judicial relief for, unjustified intrusions on personal security. Ingraham v. Wright, 430 U.S. 651, 673, 97 S.Ct. 1401, 51 L.Ed.2d 711 (1977). Even though the Court in Ingraham did not grant certiorari regarding the specific question of whether unreasonable corporal punishment violates substantive due process under the Fourteenth Amendment, it was plain that students have a liberty interest in freedom from unreasonable restraint and mistreatment. Nearly twenty years later, the Court described Ingraham as standing for the proposition that while children sent to public school are lawfully confined to the classroom, arbitrary corporal punishment represents an invasion of personal security to which their parents do not consent when entrusting the educational mission to the State. Sandin v. Conner, 515 U.S. 472, 485, 115 S.Ct. 2293, 132 L.Ed.2d 418 (1995). 27 In reliance on Ingraham, the Ninth Circuit, as well as a number of other circuits, held that excessive and unreasonable corporal punishment of public school students violates the students' constitutional rights. See Koch, 96 F.3d at 1304 (concluding that teacher's use of excessive force with high school students in 1990 and 1991 violated plaintiffs' substantive due process rights); see also Metzger v. Osbeck, 841 F.2d 518, 520 (3d Cir.1988) (holding excessive force in public school context is a violation of substantive due process guaranteed by the Fourteenth Amendment); Wise v. Pea Ridge Sch. Dist., 855 F.2d 560, 565 (8th Cir.1988) (same); Webb v. McCullough, 828 F.2d 1151, 1159 (6th Cir.1987) (same); Garcia v. Miera, 817 F.2d 650, 653 (10th Cir.1987) (same); Hall v. Tawney, 621 F.2d 607, 613 (4th Cir.1980) (same). 28 Following Ingraham, the Supreme Court determined that allegations of excessive force in § 1983 actions should be analyzed under a more specific constitutional provision, rather than through generalized notions of substantive due process. See Graham v. Connor, 490 U.S. 386, 394, 109 S.Ct. 1865, 104 L.Ed.2d 443 (1989). As a consequence, we now typically analyze excessive force allegations against public school students under the Fourth Amendment. See Doe, 334 F.3d at 908, 909 ([We] have recognized the movement away from substantive due process and toward the Fourth Amendment.... It is clear that the Fourth Amendment applies in the school environment.) (citations omitted). 29 In light of the clear constitutional prohibition of excessive physical abuse of schoolchildren, and the heightened protections for disabled pupils, no reasonable special education teacher would believe that it is lawful to force a seriously disabled four year old child to beat himself or to violently throw or slam him. Existing law plainly prohibits excessive hitting, dragging or throwing of public school children. See Koch, 96 F.3d at 1304 (no reasonable [school official] could think it constitutional to intentionally ... slap .. . and slam students ...). Therefore, LiSanti is not entitled to qualified immunity for the alleged head beating and slamming assaults on Preschooler II.