COVINGTON, Ky. – The boy’s wrists were too small for the handcuffs, so Kenton County Deputy Sheriff Kevin Sumner put them around the misbehaving child’s biceps.

The boy, known as S.R. in a federal lawsuit, “has attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and a history of trauma,” WKYT reports.

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A video of the incident, which occurred at a Covington, Kentucky public school, was released in conjunction with the suit.

The boy wasn’t the only one allegedly treated that way. A 9-year-old girl was also shackled by the school resource officer in the same manner.

“Both children were being punished for behavior related to their disabilities. Neither was arrested nor charged with any criminal conduct,” according to the news station.

A viewer warning was issued for the video:

“Shackling children is not okay. It is traumatizing, and in this case it is also illegal,” says Susan Mizner, disability counsel for the ACLU, which has filed a lawsuit on the children’s behalf.

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“Using law enforcement to discipline students with disabilities only serves to traumatize children. It makes behavioral issues worse and interferes with the school’s role in developing appropriate educational and behavioral plans for them.”

The ACLU alleges inappropriate training and supervision of Sumner by Kenton County Sheriff Chuck Korzenborn led to the incident. It also alleges the sheriff’s department violates the Americans with Disabilities Act because of its treatment of the two children.

The boy’s mother says the school’s discipline actually made the boy’s situation worse.

“It is heartbreaking to watch my little boy suffer because of this experience,” the woman identified as T.R. in the lawsuit says. “It’s hard for him to sleep, he has anxiety, and he is scared of seeing the officer in the school. School should be a safe place for children. It should be a place they look forward to going to. Instead, this has turned into a continuing nightmare for my son.”

Attorneys working with the ACLU on the suit say better training should be required for those working with special needs students in schools.

“There was no public safety threat in any of these instances that warranted throwing the regulations out the window and handcuffing these children,” according to Kenyon Meyer, an attorney with Dinsmore & Shohl.

“The school resource officer’s involvement was harmful and unnecessary, and it escalated rather than helped the situations. We should expect that if school resource officers are in our school systems, their roles should be focused on safety and security, not discipline or punishment of special needs children.”