Parents of a special needs teenager who allege that a substitute teacher hit him with a shoe will be awarded a $1 million settlement in their lawsuit against the Clark County School District.
The Clark County School Board at its Thursday meeting approved the payment, which is related to a 2025 lawsuit that parents Vanessa Valladares and Michael Saavedra brought against the district and teacher on behalf of their son, identified in the filing as M.S.
The complaint accused Carole Riordan, who was substituting at Molasky Junior High School, of hitting the then-13-year-old with a shoe on his forearm and hand a total of five times in October 2023. The boy is nonverbal and on the autism spectrum, according to the lawsuit.
Riordan denied hitting the student in an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal last year, saying a previous district investigation into the alleged assault proved she was not in the room. Court filings from lawyers representing Riordan and the district denied the allegation that Riordan struck the student.
“I’m positive it didn’t happen,” Riordan said in an interview last year. “I don’t hit kids.”
Attorneys for Saavedra and Valladares did not respond to requests for comment on the settlement agenda item.
The vote authorizes Jon Okazaki, general counsel for the district, to execute the settlement agreement signed by Superintendent Jhone Ebert, the School Board and the district.
Contact Spencer Levering at slevering@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0253.
