Massachusetts officials are investigating a claim that a 9-year-old autistic boy was mistreated on a school bus. The Department of Children and Families informed the parents once they got wind of the situation.
Noah, who’s 9 and non-verbal, is on the autism spectrum. His mom, Linda Vick, says Cambridge Public Schools provides him transportation to the New England Center for Children in Southborough.
Vick mentioned it’s “a great facility for kids on the spectrum who have higher needs than what public schools can provide.”
She found out this week from the Department of Children & Families that her son had been assaulted by a bus monitor just the week before.
“She restrained him even more and started saying, ‘The devil is inside of you, the devil is not going to get to me,’ stuff of that nature,” Vick said.
Since Noah attends Cambridge Public Schools and they arrange transport to New England Center for Children, CPS identified their transportation provider as NRT Bus from North Reading for this route.
“CPS was initially alerted to what was described as a peer to peer physical altercation during a route by NRT vehicle. We immediately contacted the vendor to obtain any relevant security footage. Upon review of the footage, it became apparent that an NRT staff member, while attempting to prevent the student from inflicting harm on anyone, appears to have engaged in an improper restraint of the student,” a CPS spokesperson said in a statement.
CPS added, “[it] has previously worked with NRT to mandate appropriate training for all staff members to support the various needs of students being served through specialized transportation. We will continue to engage with this vendor to insist upon continued training and appropriate responsive interventions in support of all students. The safety and well-being of our students will continue to be our first priority, and we will continue to demand the highest standards of care by NRT and all other district vendors.”
Vick said her son had some unexplained minor injuries at first: “He did come home that night with two red marks on his neck and we just think, he’s a boy, things happen.”
NBC10 Boston found out that the bus monitor involved no longer works at NRT Bus. The company stated, “student safety is our top priority, and we are fully cooperating with the authorities and DCF in this open investigation.”
The New England Center for Children President & CEO Dr. Jessica Sassi shared in a statement, “The New England Center for Children is deeply saddened by the recent incident that occurred while one of our students was being transported to our school. We will support the family, Cambridge Public Schools, and the Department of Children and Families (DCF) in their investigation. All transportation for our day students is the responsibility of their local public-school districts. The safety and well-being of our students is our highest priority.”
The family wants access to see the video DCF has collected.
“I guess my fight is to get the video so, as a parent, I can see what happened to my child,” Vick said.
They also filed a police report locally in Cambridge where they live.
“I absolutely want this woman held accountable. I do not want her working with other children,” Vick said.
Detectives from Cambridge police are working closely with them trying to figure out exactly where it happened so whoever’s responsible can properly investigate it.
