Dallas ISD sued for negligence after death of teaching assistant in 2021, media reports

Family members of a former Dallas ISD teaching assistant are suing the district, accusing it of negligence in the death of the 56-year-old woman, according to media reports.

Court documents stated that Sharla Sims was attacked by a 17-year-old special needs student at Spruce High School in January 2021, according to a WFAA-TV (Channel 8) report. The family is seeking $20 million in damages.

B’Ivory Lamarr, attorney for Sims’ family told the news station that educators “should be able to perform their job without the fear of being violently attacked at work.”

Lamarr, who spoke at a news conference Monday, said that the Sims was “punched and thrown into a bookshelf repeatedly.”

Dallas ISD did not respond to the news station’s requests for comment, pointing to the ongoing litigation.