Family says non-verbal 7-year-old assaulted on DeKalb school bus

DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. - A DeKalb County family says they are devastated after learning their 7-year-old non-verbal son with autism was sexually assaulted by another minor on a school bus. DeKalb school officials say the incident is under investigation.

What they're saying:

The parents told FOX 5 they are heartbroken and struggling to understand what happened. They asked that their identities and their son's face not be shown to protect his privacy.

"What's happened to my baby, because he can't talk," the boy’s father said. He added that the question has been eating at him for weeks.

The family says they learned the incident happened October 22. They say a school secretary called on October 30.

"She said the principal wanted to see us. All I can tell you is, it was an incident on the bus, an incident that has been transferred over to the legal department," the father said.

The parents say they received more information November 5 from a DeKalb school resource officer who called about the alleged sexual assault involving their son and another minor. They say the officer told them the video angle made it difficult to see what happened, but the bus driver had reported troubling details.

"He said, from the footage, the video footage, and the angles that they have, you couldn't really tell what was going on. The bus driver said when she walked to the back of the bus to see my son. He had his pants down and what she saw… she was in shock," the father said.

The parents say they later had a video call on November 7 with the principal and transportation officials. They say school leaders apologized for not having a required adult monitor on the bus that day.

"He says we are short-staffed, and I know that the students on the bus have IEP plans that says they have to have a monitor, and we should have, shouldn't have left without a monitor being on the bus, but we have to get the students home in a timely fashion," the father said.

The family says two officers came to their house later that same day but could not share many details because the situation involves minors.

"They pretty much said the same thing: They couldn't disclose information because it involved minors, and you would have to speak to the parents," the father said.

Now the parents say they are facing a painful decision.

"Then they tell me I have to press charges on this child, who is special needs. So I'm kind of stuck here. They needed a monitor also," the child's mother said.

They say they have not yet decided how to move forward.

DeKalb Schools issues statement

The other side:

DeKalb Schools confirms it is investigating and released a statement that says, in part, "The DeKalb County School District does not comment on specific confidential student matters. However, we want to assure our parents and community that the safety and well-being of our students and staff remains our top priority."