On May 22, 2024, Jenna-Jo Biondino filed a civil rights complaint in the United States District Court for the Eastern District of Pennsylvania against Bucks County Technical School Authority, operating as Bucks County Technical High School, and teacher Kimberly Caron. The complaint alleges violations of 42 U.S.C. §1983 related to bodily integrity under the Due Process Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment.
The plaintiff, Jenna-Jo Biondino, a former student at Bucks County Technical High School, claims that on May 23, 2022, she was compelled to participate in a dangerous weapons training exercise that resulted in severe injury to her left hand. According to the complaint, Biondino was enrolled in the Emergency Medical Services vocational career pathway within the Health and Human Services Program at the school. Despite this focus, she was required to engage in impact weapons training using batons and punch paddles—a practice she asserts had no rational connection to her educational goals.
The lawsuit details how students were provided with batons and punch paddles for "sparring" exercises without adequate protective gear for their heads or hands. During one such exercise, Biondino's left hand was crushed between a baton and a punch paddle, leading to serious injuries that necessitated surgery and resulted in permanent damage. The complaint states: "Plaintiff fractured the fifth finger on her left hand to a degree that it required the surgical opening of her finger and the placement of a permanent screw into her bones."
Biondino accuses both defendants of implementing a policy that knowingly put students at risk. The complaint highlights an incident where Defendant Caron allegedly told students: "the administration doesn’t like me doing this because some of you are not yet 18." This statement is used to illustrate that both Caron and the school administration were aware of the dangers associated with these exercises but continued them regardless.
In terms of legal relief, Biondino seeks judgment against both defendants for an amount exceeding $75,000. She is also requesting attorneys' fees and costs along with any other relief deemed appropriate by the court. The case cites violations under 42 U.S.C.A. §1983 for state-created danger and deliberate indifference towards student safety.
Representing Jenna-Jo Biondino is Jonathan J. Russell from Drake, Hileman & Davis P.C., while no attorney information is currently listed for the defendants. The case has been assigned Case ID 2:24-cv-02187-JS and will be presided over by Judge Juan Sánchez.