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Family Claims Autistic Son Hit On School Bus

Family Sues School Bus Company

POSTED: Tuesday, March 25, 2008
UPDATED: 6:49 pm EDT March 25, 2008

The parents of 9-year-old boy have filed a lawsuit against a school bus company claiming two bus attendants abused their son, who is autistic and blind.

The boy's parents took pictures of the boy to document the scratches and red marks they said were left on their child after the bus attendants repeatedly pinched the boy while he was on a First Student school bus.

"There has been an outrageous sequence of events," said the family's attorney, Eric Block.

The family has filed lawsuit naming both school bus attendants and First Student Inc., for negligence and battery.

"In January, this little boy was beat by an attendant. His hair was pulled. It was not until his mother found out about it that she complained to First Student and they did an investigation," Block said.

He told Channel 4 the bus attendant was fired following that investigation.

"If that is not outrageous enough, in March, it happened all over again. The boy came home and his parents found bruising on his body. The point is, this is way wrong. It's outrageous. It should not happen once, much less twice," Block said.

He claimed a second bus attendant was also to blame the second time the boy came home with injuries, saying the boy suffered "significant scars and disfigurement ... as well as emotional injuries."

The attorney said that all First Student school buses should be equipped with some type of video surveillance. However, in both incidents of abuse, no video was available.

"Mysteriously, it just so happens that both of these videos turn up missing and disappear," Block said.

The suit alleges both incidents happened as the boy was taken from his school to his home. However, Block said the family does not hold the school responsible at all, and that the school has been helpful.

"One of the things we are very concerned about is the training regiment and what training is provided to these attendants. These are special needs kids. They need special care and special trained folks," Block said.

The attorney said in the beginning, the family only contacted First Student, but have since contacted the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office and the Department of Children and Families about the matter.

First Student said it could not comment on the case because it is pending litigation.
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