A mother is suing St. Christopher’s by-the-Sea Episcopal Church and Montessori School claiming her son was unwittingly the subject of a study by the principal that ended up causing emotional distress.

The lawsuit filed Sept. 30 in Miami-Dade Circuit Court claims Jill Richardson’s 6-year-old identified in the lawsuit only as J.C.R. was selected by principal Laura Miller for a study so she could write a thesis to obtain her certification in Montessori education.