A former special education instructor in the Palisades Park school district recorded a video of a developmentally disabled student in a classroom meant to demean the girl, according to a lawsuit filed by the child's mother.
The girl was an 8-year-old third-grader at Lindbergh Elementary School when Jaclyn Vanore filmed her in November 2022, the suit alleges. The school district, the principal and another teacher are also named as defendants in the harassment, discrimination and invasion of privacy lawsuit filed in Bergen County,
In the video recorded with her personal cell phone in November 2022, Vanore has the girl say "4QK," which when spoken by the child sounded like a gay slur, the suit alleges.
Vanore then allegedly posted the video to Facebook and Instagram.
The video came to light when it was played during a school meeting on Sept. 26, 2023. According to the lawsuit, the video had been passed around the community for the amusement of others before the girl or her mother knew about it.
According to the lawsuit, the video was displayed by recording a device as it played content from another screen, suggesting a chain of custody and widespread circulation that had not been disclosed to the plaintiff's family for more than a year, according to the lawsuit.
The girl, who is not named in the court papers, has since left the school district and now resides in Teaneck. She attends weekly counseling and suffers from anxiety, panic attacks, nightmares, nervousness, depression, frustration, anger and trust issues, the suit alleges.
The video has also made it harder for her to overcome her learning disability and language impairments.
Vanore resigned from the district in 2024, according to NBCNewYork.com, which first reported on the lawsuit.
When reached on her cell phone Friday, Vanore referred questions to her attorney. Vanore's attorney Jeffrey A. Bronster, declined to comment when reached by phone Friday afternoon.
Palisades Park superintendent Carl Albano said in an email that the district doesn't comment on pending litigation.
Vanore, a graduate of Palisades Park High School is also a former softball coach at Cresskill High School. She played softball at Wagner College