Two families have filed a federal lawsuit against a former Roseville special education teacher over allegations she repeatedly abused preschoolers with autism.Watch report: Former Roseville special-ed teacher accused of abusing studentsThe lawsuit also names the Roseville City School District and two administrators as defendants.Duane and Kimberly Beecham said Tuesday their daughter, who is now in kindergarten, started acting strangely when she began attending a special education program nearly two years ago at Kaseberg Elementary School."(She) didn't not want to get out of the car, crying, throwing stuff, just throwing tantrums that we'd never seen before," said Duane Beecham.The Beecham's said because their daughter has autism and cannot speak, they assumed she was simply having a hard time adjusting, so they continued to send her to school.They said they did think it was strange they were not allowed to visit their daughter's classroom and she once came home with a pinch mark on her arm.However, they said they never suspected abuse."And then when we finally got the police report, it's just tears," said Kimberly Beecham.According to a Roseville police report filed in December 2013, Theresa VanWagner was repeatedly seen by aides slapping students on the hands and face and grabbing and pulling students by the hair.On at least one occasion, aides said they saw VanWagner pull and pinch a student by the ear.Last summer the Placer County District Attorney's Office charged VanWagner with three misdemeanor counts of cruelty to a child by abuse, neglect or endangering their health."These children are likely damaged for the long-term, maybe for the rest of their life, by what they endured in that class," said Peter Alfert, the plaintiffs' attorney.Alfert said he is trying to find families of five other children who were also in VanWagner's class.He said the lawsuit does not specify an amount of damages being sought but said previous cases have resulted in multimillion-dollar awards.According to police report, the school did dismiss VanWagner in late November 2013.However, the parents said school administrators had begun receiving reports two months earlier."I felt that they failed us. They should have let us know what was going on," said Oliver Vergara, who said his son was also abused.No one answered the door Tuesday afternoon at VanWagner's duplex in Rocklin.A woman who left the home and drove away declined to answer a reporter's questions.The Roseville City School District issued a statement saying it could not comment on pending litigation.VanWagner was scheduled to appear in court on Wednesday afternoon for a hearing on the criminal charges.