Parents seek change after autistic son allegedly hurt by school bus aide

LOUISA COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) -- On Sept. 11, a first grader from Thomas Jefferson Elementary School got into a disagreement with another student. His parents said what followed has been distressing.

“You could hear my son telling her to. 'Please leave me alone, get out of my face. You hurt me.' Screaming, ‘ow.’ You could hear the other children on the bus and see that they were very upset," said the first grader's father, Robert.

The school’s resource officer called Robert and his wife into Thomas Jefferson Elementary the day after the incident, he said.

"My son never brought it up to us," Robert said. "He just said his finger was bent backward, but he said it happened at school."

It happened on the bus, and the incident was reported by a parent of a middle school student on the same bus. Robert's son has autism, and he rides a bus with kids of all ages from any Louisa County School.

"A child that doesn't even attend school with my son had said something to his mom along the lines of he hopes my son doesn't get hurt on the bus again, and that's what prompted that parent to contact the Transportation Office of the school," Robert said.

That's what prompted the school to look into the bus footage, and call in the first grader's parents.

"He was afraid he would get in trouble and that he did something wrong," Robert said.

After watching the tape, Robert said it's clear his son did not do anything wrong. After his son and the other student stopped fighting, Robert said the aid made his son move seats.

"At that time, she physically shoved him toward the seat, towards the back on the bus," Robert said. "When [my son] sat down in the seat, she was roughly making him sit down in the seat, and then she actually sat down in the seat with him, and during that time was when she continued to be physical with him, putting her hands on his on his face, grabbing his face to jerk him over towards her, restraining his hands and arms, holding them down by his sides."

School officials have since investigated the incident and deemed it serious enough to file a report with the sheriff’s office, which is currently looking into the matter. School officials said the bus aide no longer works with the school system.

Louisa County Schools provided the following statement regarding the incident:

"In mid-September, LCPS administrators were made aware of allegations involving unacceptable disciplinary actions taken by a substitute bus aide toward a student on a school bus.

When made aware of the alleged behavior, our division’s administrative team immediately looked into the case and determined the substitute bus aide’s behavior was unacceptable and not in accordance with LCPS policy. This individual is no longer associated with LCPS.

In situations such as this, we want to thank those who originally came forward with the information. This allows us to continue providing the safest environment possible for our students and staff. Safety is — and always will be —  our top priority at LCPS. 

This incident was turned over to the Louisa County Sheriff’s Office and, due to the ongoing investigation, we cannot comment further at this time."

While Robert said he appreciates the steps taken, he feels there has been a lack of communication and support since the incident.

“At first, the school was doing a lot to keep us in the loop, but since then, there's been nothing, and there's really been a lack of support for my son and all the students who witnessed it,” he said.

Louisa County Schools said they contacted every family of the students on the bus to ensure access to additional support. Robert said the school told him and his wife the same thing, offering a school resource officer. However, Robert is calling for the school to bring in trauma counselors for his son and the other students who witnessed the incident, stating that the school counselor cannot provide the specialized support needed for the students with special needs who witnessed this trauma.

"The other kids on the bus were upset by this event as it was unfolding," Robert said. "There was a kid who was obviously very emotionally affected, he was crying."

He also voiced concerns about the training provided to school bus aides working with special needs children, noting that much of it is conducted online.

Louisa County Schools said the substitute bus aide completed all required training, including in-person meetings and online modules at the start of the school year. They did not respond when asked how long the training process is, and how much of it is in person.

Robert said that before the incident, his son had been doing better. Now, his developmental pediatric doctor tells him his son is regressing and has experienced trauma.

The following is part of the letter from that doctor:

"Commonly, we will see children process traumatic events, with overt behavior escalation or mood disturbances. Your son has exhibited elopement. He has been showing increased non-compliance. He has been waking up crying and having increased incidents overnight. He has regressed in his ability to separate from parents, and is showing a notable increase in separation anxiety, perseverating on when parents are going to be home."

8News sent a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request of the bus security footage, but has not received anything back.

The Sheriff's Department declined to comment, but Robert's wife shared an email from a Louisa Commonwealth Attorney stating the bus aide will be on trial in connection with this incident on Dec. 6.