Student Assaulted On School Bus

A child is taken to the hospital after being beaten on a Hamilton County school bus.

Now his family is speaking out, saying the Hamilton County Department of Education is not taking measures they say will help stop the violence in schools and on buses.

We called the school system's spokesperson, Danielle Clark, to find out what this middle school boy should do since his family says he keeps getting beaten up on the school bus. Clark said "tell him to walk home," then laughed, and said she was joking.

But the boy's family doesn't think this is a joke.

It was Tuesday afternoon when Hamilton County school bus #394 stopped at 31st Street and Calhoun Avenue. The driver called for police and paramedics after a fight erupted on board, sending Taletha Goodlow's nephew to the hospital.

"And the bus driver said he just jumped up and was pounding him in the face with full force," Goodlow said.

So what led up to the fight, and could anything have been done on board to prevent it?

Goodlow said "I don't know if there's a camera on the bus where it happened and they can rewind it, review it or whatever."

There is a camera on the bus that captured images of the fight, but the Hamilton County Department of Education won't release it. Clark said by phone the video is now part of the victim's academic file and claims it is protected under the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act.

But there are plenty of cases nationwide where school systems have released bus camera video of fights, like video NewsChannel 9 has aired in recent months from Arizona, Arkansas and Murphreesboro, Tennessee.

"Our children shouldn't be singled out or bullied on the bus, or in our schools. They should be there to learn and come home feeling safe on the bus they travel home," Goodlow said.

Clark said she could not comment on the record about the events leading up to the fight. She would not comment about Goodlow's claim that Tuesday's assault is the latest example of on-going problems.

"He has had plenty of problems on the bus and in the school where they have jumped him in the bathroom, in the hallways, in the classrooms. And the first couple of times the altercations have happened nothing was done about it. He has been taken to juvenile himself even though he didn't start the altercations," Goodlow explained.

Clark said the executive principal at Howard Middle and High Schools, Paul Smith, was also busy Thursday but would be available for comment Friday.

Clark added the student that assaulted Goodlow's nephew has been suspended from school and the bus for the rest of the school year, which ends in a couple weeks.