Another family says special needs child sexually assaulted on DeKalb school bus

Another family claims son sexually assaulted on school bus

A second family has come forward, claiming their special needs child was also sexually assaulted on a DeKalb County school bus. The claim comes after the family of a 7-year-old non-verbal boy with autism says their son was sexually assaulted by another minor on a school bus. FOX 5's Aungelique Proctor has the story.

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County mother says she was consumed with questions while speaking with her son's bus driver after learning he was allegedly sexually assaulted while on the bus on October 22.

"I had tears in my eyes. I was looking at her devastated. I just kept asking her what happened? When did this happen? Did the little boy touch my son, what went on. Why didn't you secure the bus," the mother said.

Sexual assault on DeKalb County school bus investigation

The backstory:

FOX 5 first reported on Thursday that an alleged sexual assault took place on the same bus, on the same day, involving a 7-year-old special needs child. We now know this mother's autistic, minimal non-verbal son was also the victim of an alleged sexual assault on the same DeKalb County school bus on October 22.  According to both families, the bus did not have its required monitor on board.

The mom, who FOX 5 has chosen not to identify to protect the identity of the child, of the 6-year-old, says she has gotten three different accounts of what happened. She says the first version came from the bus driver.

"She said, ‘Oh I am so sorry.  I am sorry.’ I actually called her back the next day, so she could give me the story again. She said she got up out her seat , went back there. That is when she saw my son fully dressed and the little boy's pants down to his ankle," the mom said.

Timeline:

Just like the first family, the second family got a call from the school eight days later, October 30, to meet with the principal. 

Then on November 5, this family got a call from the DeKalb School Police, who she said urged her to get her 6-year-old son checked out.

"She was really panicking. Please, please, go get your son checked. Get a rape kit done on your son," the mom shared.

This second family showed us a written incident report that they secured from DeKalb Schools. They say it includes another version of what happened.

"On her thing it says both kids had their pants down. It's two stories. I got a story from October 22 from the supervisor that was driving the bus and I got a record from open records. what they are saying in open records and I got the investigators as well," the mom explained.

This family has already pressed charges against a 10-year-old student who rides the same bus.

"A week or two ago, I actually went to DeKalb Schools on Memorial Drive and I pressed charges against the kid or the kid's mother. I'm actually waiting on the court dates to come in the mail. This is not anything against the child. I am only doing this so this will not happen to another child, the mom said.

DeKalb County School addresses sexual assault allegations

What they're saying:

DeKalb County Schools sent FOX 5 a second statement today, that reads in part:

"We can confirm that three students were involved in an alleged incident on October 22. The District immediately began an investigation and contacted the parents of the students the same day as we learned of each student’s level of involvement. District staff also met directly with the families as part of our review.

For information regarding any potential criminal charges, please contact the appropriate law enforcement agency, as they are the lead on that aspect of the matter.
Additionally, your message referenced this as a "trend." To clarify: this was an isolated incident. There is no indication of a broader pattern.
As always, the safety and well-being of our students on our buses and throughout the district is of utmost importance. We take allegations of misconduct seriously and act promptly to safeguard students and support families."

What's next:

The investigation continues.