DECATUR COUNTY, Ind. -- A Decatur County mother is insisting her autistic son be taught at home after she learned a teacher and her assistants allegedly strapped the 9-year-old to a chair multiple times.

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Mom Says Child Was Bruised

Stephanie Richards says a special-education teacher at North Decatur Elementary School tied Ryan Richards' hands and legs to a chair in an apparent effort to control him over the past school year, causing bruises (pictured, below right). The mother pulled her son out of the school in April, when she says she learned of the tying from a high school student who was helping in Ryan's classroom.

"I've been told my son would cry trying to get out of the restraints. He would cry trying to get out. That kills me," Stephanie Richards told RTV6's Derrik Thomas.

One of the teaching assistants, Tracy Gearhart, confirmed to Thomas that she was one of the people who tied Ryan (pictured, left) to a chair last school year. She said she disagreed with the action, but she nevertheless tied Ryan because she was told to do so.

"He was strapped down for anywhere from 45 minutes to two hours at a time," said Gearhart, who said she recently stopped working at the school because of Ryan's treatment.

"It was very cruel," Gearhart said. "No child should be treated like that."

Stephanie Richards said she is trying to convince the school system to provide a home education program for Ryan. She said she can't trust the school system to take car of her son at school.

In the meantime, Stephanie Richards is paying for a private teacher.

Superintendent Robert Cupp confirmed a complaint had been filed in connection with the case. Information on whether any disciplinary action had been taken against the teacher was unavailable.

The Richards family is considering whether to file a civil lawsuit against the school system, Thomas reported.