HOWELL — A bus aide taunted and attacked a boy with autism using a tool that cut the child’s hand and that caused emotional and physical trauma, according to a lawsuit filed in Superior Court, Monmouth County.
The parents of the 8-year-old boy — identified as S.J.C. to protect his identity — are suing the bus aide, the driver, and the First Student Inc. bus company of Cincinnati, Ohio, which employed them.
Howell Township Public Schools’ Board of Education and administrators are also named in the suit. They are accused of retaliation, creating a hostile environmental, failing to protect the child, and discrimination against someone with a disability, according to court documents.
The lawsuit claims bus aide Quinton M. Schwartz held the boy down, mocked him, and jabbed him with a “grabber reacher tool” multiple times during the bus ride home on March 13, 2024, according to the lawsuit. The tool is apparently used to pick up various items.
Because of the boy’s disability, he could not verbalize what happened to his parents, said Brooke Barnett, an attorney for the family. However, bus video showed Schwartz grabbing the boy with the tool and mocking him, she said.
“He’s tormenting the kid,” Barnett told the Asbury Park Press on Thursday.
The bus driver did not intervene and did not report the incident to school district supervisors or the boy’s parents, according to the lawsuit.
Police charged Schwartz with third-degree endangering, neglect or abuse of a child by a non-caretaker; third-degree possession of a weapon for an unlawful purpose; and simple assault, according to court records. The case is pending.
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After the incident, S.J.C. ran off the bus crying, but could not verbalize what happened to his father, Barnett said. The father became concerned when he saw blood on the boy’s arm, she added. He had scratches and other injuries to his hand, according to the lawsuit.
Now, the boy resists riding the bus and returning to school, Barnett said.
After the incident, the child’s family filed a notice of their intention to sue over the child’s injuries. Then, Howell Township Public School administrators retaliated against the boy, according to the lawsuit.
He “has been banned from everyday activities including but not limited to gym class, lunch and recess, a class field trip, and the holiday party,” according to the lawsuit. In addition, the boy was “assigned to classes inappropriate and unsuitable for his IEP (individualized education plan).”
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School administrators also ostracized the boy and attempted to expel him from the district, Barnett said.
An attorney for the school district could not immediately be reached for comment on Thursday.
The family is seeking damages, saying their son has suffered permanent injuries, as well as mental anguish and emotional distress.
“If we’re not going to protect the most vulnerable, then what’s the point of the Constitution?” Barnett said.
Amanda Oglesby is an Ocean County native who covers education and the environment. She has worked for the Press for more than 16 years. Reach her at @OglesbyAPP, aoglesby@gannettnj.com or 732-557-5701.
This article originally appeared on Asbury Park Press: Howell schools ostracized boy with autism after family sued: lawsuit