School bus surveillance video appears to show driver booting autistic girl onto ground

A video camera captures a school bus driver literally kicking a special needs child off the bus, resulting in a broken ankle. WFLA's Josh Thomas reports.

A Florida school district has released video that appears to show a bus driver kicking an autistic student down the stairs.

In the video released Wednesday by Hillsborough County schools, bus driver Stephanie Wilkerson, 42, stands behind an 8-year-old girl as she hesitates on the stairs. According to the sheriff's office, the student slaps Wilkerson, who then appears to use her foot to kick the girl in the back, causing her to fly down the stairs and onto the ground.

Wilkerson was fired after the Sept. 28, 2012, incident, which Tampa police say resulted in a broken ankle for the young girl, reported NBC affiliate WFLA.com. Wilkerson now faces aggravated child abuse charges, the station said.

"If a bus driver or teacher or anyone makes contact with a student that results in injury, we take that very, very seriously," Steve Hagerty, spokesman for Hillsborough County school district, told WFLA.com. "You are the adult. You have to show restraint. You are held to a very high standard. Pushing a student where they fall of the bus and injure themselves -- it is obviously beyond anything they are allowed to do."

Wilkerson has not spoken to any media outlets. WFLA.com attempted to reach her for comment, but was unable to. It's unclear whether or not she is represented by an attorney.


The girl's parents are suing the Hillsborough County school district, which has seen two special needs students die since the September bus incident, according to local media.

In October, 10-year-old Jenny Caballero, who had Down Syndrome, drowned in a nearby pond after wandering from her middle school gym class. In November, Isabella Herrera, a 7-year-old who was confined to a wheelchair because of a neuromuscular disorder, stopped breathing on her bus ride to school. An aide noticed during the ride that Isabella was in distress, but neither the aide nor the driver stopped the ride to call 911, Isabella's parents say.

The school district has created a task force to make sure children with special needs receive the proper treatment they need at school and en route to school since firing Wilkerson, Hagerty said.

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Bitch.

  • 37 votes
#1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 12:53 PM EDT

Glad she was fired & is facing charges. No excuse for that.

  • 38 votes
#1.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 12:58 PM EDT
reno 911Deleted

If that b!tch booted my child like that...

  • 9 votes
#1.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:17 PM EDT

She may be way overweight, but clearly a woman. And that foot to the middle of the back, to an eight yr old, was as good as a kick. Especially to an autistic child that may not have good coordination. That bitch should get off her couch and lose that flab.

  • 7 votes
#1.4 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:21 PM EDT

What a sh*t hole community that would tolerate a school district that treats disabled children this way. This school bus driver needs to go to PRISON, not jail, PRISON. She needs to be housed with the other turds of society. The school district administrators need to be fired and get jobs more in touch with their abilities, maybe making sure the burger hits the bun instead of the floor at the local burger place. If the world was fair that sorry excuse for a human being bus driver would have slipped and broken her back when kicking the girl off the bus, and lived the rest of her miserable existence in a freaking wheelchair. Then maybe she would gain a little empathy for those WHO CAN'T DEFEND THEMSELVES and rely on others to treat them fairly.

  • 11 votes
#1.5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:32 PM EDT

How nice. The school district has to implement a training program to teach their bus drivers not to physically kick students off the bus.

  • 15 votes
#1.6 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:57 PM EDT

Hey Drano, do tell where you read the community tolerates this behavior, since obviously you saw something that wasn't written here. What I read was that the driver has been fired and is facing charges, a task force has been created for special needs kids and the school district is being sued by the girl's parents. Sh*thole community indeed.... look inward, oh, and learn how to read.

  • 3 votes
#1.7 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:17 PM EDT

A 42 year out woman doing that to a 8 year old. How low can someone go?

  • 3 votes
#1.8 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:19 PM EDT

Kitty- you are as rotten of a person as the bus driver. Nothing but a bully.

  • 1 vote
#1.9 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:40 PM EDT

dont call ppl bitch it's insulting to dogs, the proper term for ppl is @!$%# and its mrs. @!$%# to you.

  • 3 votes
#1.10 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:41 PM EDT

First: If I had a special needs child I would not let him/her on or off the bus alone. And I would make sure the driver knows this is a special needs kid. What the driver did was wrong, whether a hard kick or a soft kick, it's not a proper way to get a kid that age off the bus. But chances are the driver didn't even know this kid was autistic, and she probably saw him as defiant.

Second: a mentally challenged kid has no place in a mainstream classroom! Specially with medical complications. Like the girl with Down Syndrome who wandered off her class. The teacher probably has 20 some kids with high energy level activity to watch in a classroom. She can not focus on only one!

And the kid who died in the bus, if there had been someone who knew what kind of first aid to give her, maybe, she could have been saved. Special needs kids belong in a special needs classroom with teachers specialized in special needs children, not with kids who can do the work 10 times faster than they can. Kind of insensitive to them. And children with medical conditions or in wheel chairs should have a bus to accomodate their needs, or have an aid in the bus trained to assist that person in case of an emergency.

All that will result in higher salaries or more salaries, and with all the budget cuts on education, it is very unlikely will happen.

  • 2 votes
#1.11 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:50 PM EDT

this is how fat women behave when no one is watching. i'm not surprised.

  • 4 votes
#1.12 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:02 PM EDT

"This school bus driver needs to go to PRISON, not jail, PRISON."

Just for your education, you cannot go to PRISON until you go to JAIL and are found guilty and SENTENCED to PRISON.

In other words, GO BACK TO SCHOOL LITTLE ONE.

  • 1 vote
#1.13 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:22 PM EDT
reno 911Deleted

someone should put the bus driver in front of a flight of stairs and push

  • 1 vote
#1.15 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:53 PM EDT

And our government cuts funding to schools. Teachers, teachers aids, all being cut. Done by both parties, you know why? Cause they can ask you for more money in taxes. It's the one place they know you won't say 'NO', cause it's for the kids. Run a story like this, then ask for more money. Piece of cake. You can bet taxes are going to go up for the schools because they cut funding to ever state by billions of dollars this year. Will that money go to pay the dept, NO I doubt it, but congress voted themselves a raise! Were will the money go, to pay for secret government military fund.

  • 2 votes
#1.16 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:55 PM EDT
reno 911Deleted
reno 911Deleted

How do so many people in this world lack basic respect?

    #1.19 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 5:37 PM EDT

    Why didn't she just help this child. Something was obviously wrong in the kids world. Wouldn't it have been easier to just HELP the child? What ever happened to love thy neighbor?

    • 1 vote
    #1.20 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 5:50 PM EDT

    Special needs or not. If someone, man or woman, puts their foot on my child I'm going beast-mode on their ass!

      #1.21 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:28 PM EDT

      I saw on another news site the whole story here. First, the 'special needs ' girl hit and then pushed the bus driver, then, refused to get off the bus. After about a minute the driver pushed her with her foot. Probably she was hesitatant to aproach a violent 'special needs' kid.

        #1.22 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 8:42 PM EDT

        So it is OK to physically confront an eight year old who is special needs no matter what the eight year on did. Come on people stop defending trash

        • 1 vote
        #1.23 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:24 PM EDT

        Um....hit or not hit, this bus driver had no right to kick the 8-year-old child back. Chances are this bus driver knew this child was autistic & if said bus driver would take a few minutes to educate herself, she would learn that many children with autism are capable of lashing out--it may be the only way for them to communicate a frustration. I would like to think if she was a sub bus driver that day, the regular bus driver would have left necessary notes about particular children. When my son's driver is going to have a sub, she makes sure the person knows about my son (who doesn't lash out) so that there are no surprises. My son is mainstreamed in school & rides a "typical" kids bus.

        There may be some fault here in that a parent or other adult doesn't appear to have been waiting for this child to get off the bus. I can now wait at my door for my son to get off his bus, but in earlier years, I met the driver at the curb. In this situation, a trusted adult should have been there to see the child off the bus. If the child was being defiant, then the driver could signal the adult that she needed assistance getting the child off the bus. If there was no one present for the child & the child was acting the way she was, a call to the bus garage asking for them to call the parent to come out & help would have been appropriate. Further, what bus driver would let a young kid off a bus alone, let alone one with autism? Here, any child in elementary school is not allowed off the bus unless an adult is present at least at the front door. A child in 4th or 5th grade can be let off the bus without an adult if a parent note is provided to the driver with explicit directions as to what the child is supposed to do (my daughter could let herself in the house with her own key). The driver would wait to make sure she was in the house before she pulled away.

        • 1 vote
        #1.24 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:30 PM EDT

        On an another note--regarding the child who wandered & the child who passed away on the bus. Children receiving special education services are entitled to Free & Appropriate Education in the least restrictive environment. Not knowing the full story, I can only speculate here. The district did not provide a 1:1 aide for the down syndrome child. If a child needs a 1:1 or shared aide to control behaviors detrimental to learning, or to assist in learning in order for the child to be successful, then the child is supposed to be granted one. As for the child who passed away on the bus, the driver & bus aide should have been informed of this child's condition & they are completely at fault for not pulling over immediately & calling 911. Totally inexcusable on their parts.

          #1.25 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:39 PM EDT

          In other words, GO BACK TO SCHOOL LITTLE ONE.

          You go to prison when your sentence exceeds 364 days, at least in my state. My point was sitting in a county or city jail is much less traumatic than sitting in Prison. This person deserves prison. Before you start waxing poetic about what you think I meant and said maybe you should get a grip and if you and your single digit IQ want to have a conversation bring it on.

            #1.26 - Fri Mar 22, 2013 12:19 PM EDT

            Next time they tell you to get off the bus you will listen the first time.

              #1.27 - Sun Mar 24, 2013 2:23 AM EDT
              reno 911Deleted
              Reply

              Pathetic example of a human being. Although he will serve the penalty for assault and battery...I say make him serve food, clean clothes and assist at a home for the children with special needs and physically disabled. make him do it for five years. Also with two deaths to in the same district to children with special needs, perhaps the D.A. should begin a criminal investigation against those who are "in Charge". Any time a physically challenged or special needs child is in the care of a district employee...those employees should have the training and knowledge of handling situations with them. At this district...no training...no policies..No Wonder.

              What a science project this As$hole is.

              • 5 votes
              Reply#2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:02 PM EDT

              Great rant, but you missed the "Stephanie" part? There is no "he" or "him" here.

              • 14 votes
              #2.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:05 PM EDT

              Stephanie Wilkerson, 42,

              him?

              • 4 votes
              #2.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:06 PM EDT
              reno 911Deleted
              reno 911Deleted

              @The Chief,

              You are right, there should be criminal charges against the district.

              One child dying while in your care is a tragedy. Two children dying in your care is a pattern...

              The fact that the school district did NOTHING to properly train their personnel after the first child's death, makes them criminally negligent in the death of the second child.

              Even if no criminal charges end up filed, every school employee involved in these incidents, in addition to the entire school board, need to lose their jobs permanently.

              • 6 votes
              #2.5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:47 PM EDT

              "Something is happening to humans. The women are becoming burly, brutish and manly looking and men are becoming slight and feminine looking."

              It all started in Lake Wobegone, Michigan, where the women are strong, the men are good looking, and the children are all above average.

              • 7 votes
              #2.6 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:59 PM EDT

              It was a woman driver.

                #2.7 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:16 PM EDT

                Reading all of the articles regarding this school district...

                Sept 2012 - Bus driver kicks autistic student down some stairs, resulting in broken ankle. School Board decides not to issue mandatory re-training of staff.

                Oct 2012 - Child with Down Syndrome wanders off from her assigned teacher's aide, and drowns. School Board takes no action against the teachers involved. Still no re-training considered.

                NOV 2012 - Second child dies, this time while riding the bus, because the aide failed to secure her wheelchair properly, and failed to call 911 when the child was in visible distress. AGAIN, the School Board looks the other way.

                Screw it all, every member of the board needs to be brought up on charges of 2nd-degree manslaughter, based on Depraved Indifference. Every last one of them needs to be put behind bars for 10 years or more.

                The school board had the power to prevent these incidents, simply by requiring their staff to receive the proper training, and firing anyone who failed to do their job. Instead, not only did they IGNORE their duty, they actually DENY any responsibility for these children.

                Only the most depraved individuals could watch two children die, and do NOTHING.

                I hope all the parents sue the district into bankruptcy. It is obvious that every student who attends school there is in danger, due to the incompetence and negligence of the teaching staff and board members. The students would be better off going to school somewhere else.

                • 16 votes
                #2.8 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:19 PM EDT

                Scares me when people say"oh,that kick wasn't that bad". Really, really....I swear, how much common sense does it take to say, this is a special needs child and I need to be tolerant, if you can't handle it don't take the job! The child was 8 years old for goodness sake. What a bully! These drivers need to be trained to handle children without retaliation. Trust me my granddaughter isn't special needs and you kick her and you will answer to me.

                • 15 votes
                #2.9 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:07 PM EDT

                she is a very very sick bitch and need's to have her bone's broke the sick bitch.

                • 1 vote
                #2.10 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:28 PM EDT

                So true 'anns717'...anyone touches my child in that manner will have to deal with me. This reminds me of when I was a child riding in my school bus...our school bus driver would get irritated with all of us children on the bus because we were 'being to loud' so then he reacted by slamming on his breaks causing all of us children to go flying forward hitting the back of the seats in front of us...and the back of the seats did not have padding they were metal with no covering. I remember a lot of us kids would hit hard. Now years later as an adult I told my dad about this happening and he told me he wish he knew about this because it was a form of child abuse. Of course as a child you do not think of this as being abuse, and you never say anything. I wonder how much of this really goes on in our schools that we parents do not know about. Scary!!

                • 3 votes
                #2.11 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:45 PM EDT

                It's a she.

                  #2.12 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:51 PM EDT

                  Did the kids shut up?

                    #2.13 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:04 PM EDT
                    Reply
                    Comment author avatarMike Cecilvia Facebook

                    I would like to kick her a few times!

                    • 9 votes
                    Reply#3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:04 PM EDT

                    @ Mike me too right in the ass and knock her down and break her ankle... damn bully bitch

                    • 3 votes
                    #3.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:38 PM EDT

                    @ Mike,

                    So would I. I wonder how she was going to explain this? Was she going to say the kid fell on her way off the bus? Hello! There is a camera on the bus! She dd not think this through at all.

                    • 3 votes
                    #3.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:30 PM EDT
                    Reply

                    disgusting.

                    • 7 votes
                    Reply#4 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:06 PM EDT

                    Tonight on animal planet videos...when manatees attack.....

                    • 7 votes
                    Reply#5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:07 PM EDT
                    Comment author avatarcunicalExpand Comment Comment collapsed by the community

                    When they're autistic, they can bite, slap, punch and kick with impunity.

                    • 2 votes
                    Reply#6 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:08 PM EDT

                    Who was suppose to be the adult here? She has a problem student so she can raise her hoof and kick her?

                    • 20 votes
                    #6.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:14 PM EDT

                    Yes, special needs children can be quite ferocious BUT this school bus driver was hired to drive these "special" kids and I'm sure was informed in the beginning of her employment that these children require special care...NOT a kick in the butt and mistreatment!!

                    • 17 votes
                    #6.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:24 PM EDT

                    Here's a good reason for bus driver's to NOT have firearms.

                    • 8 votes
                    #6.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:16 PM EDT

                    If a special needs kid is violent, you call the parent and ban them from riding until they are under control. You don't "help" them get off the bus.

                    I am curious though, do all parents of special needs kids expect personal babysitters for their kids going to public school?

                    • 3 votes
                    #6.4 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:49 PM EDT

                    I am curious myself Mr. Washington what exactly you expect us parents of special needs children to do? Keep them home and uneducated? How productive would that be? Wouldn't we as parents then be ridiculed and have social services knocking at our door for failing to provide an education for them? I don't know what you do for a living, but my salary is decent and I still can't afford private school. Plus, there is not a single private school in our region that will accept a special needs student. Hmm, I guess since he's a little "different" I should lock him in a room and through away the key?

                    No, I don't expect a babysitter for my child, but I do expect and demand that he be treated with the utmost of respect and yes, watched after a little more closely. He's very high functioning and outwardly you would never guess he's special needs; but looks don't tell the story. Public school is the only option for my child; although I did demand that he be placed at the elementary school I felt would best be able to help him while affording ALL children a good, fair and unbiased education. I don't pay for that out of district school, but I have to provide all transportation (no bus, nothing). I will tell you this; if my child was on a bus and anyone, especially the driver, touched my son like that, they wouldn't need an attorney...they would need an ambulance. I'm not a violent person nor do I advocate violence, but I will go to war for my children - AND WIN!

                    • 2 votes
                    #6.5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:14 PM EDT

                    I believe that there should be a certain level of impunity... People with special needs are just hardwired differently, they react differently to situations than "normal" people.

                    • 2 votes
                    #6.6 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:25 PM EDT

                    @ BILL WASHINGTON – You pompous
                    Jack @SS

                    “ I am curious though, do all parents of
                    special needs kids expect personal babysitters for their kids going to public
                    school? “

                    Obviously you have NO IDEA what just came out
                    of your pathetic mouth and how STUPID YOU SOUND!!!

                    NO NOT ALL of US parents with special needs Children
                    expect personal babysitting, WE DO however EXPECT our children to be safe and
                    not “over looked” or “abused”!! if a teacher has a special needs child in their
                    class then that class should be more obvious to that teacher to pay attention
                    to where that child IS, if they have that many special needs children in their
                    classes then they need teachers dedicated and trained in the field of those special
                    needs children.

                    Not everyone is blessed with perfect children
                    but we love ours just like everyone loves theirs. Parents of special needs
                    children do not ask any more of teachers then parents with no special needs. Now
                    pull your head out of your @ss and think about what you say next time as your
                    words can be very hurtful.

                    @ Frustratedtoo!

                    I am with you, I too have a good salary and
                    still could not place my daughter in a privet school, I was also forced to
                    mainstream her. But I can say she has just turned 21 and has overcome a lot, to
                    look at her now, you would never know she had sever down syndrome. Good luck to
                    you and your son.

                    • 5 votes
                    #6.7 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 5:05 PM EDT

                    "When they're autistic, they can bite, slap, punch and kick with impunity."

                    When you're stupid, you can comment, rant and troll on forums with impunity.

                    • 1 vote
                    #6.8 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:48 PM EDT
                    reno 911Deleted
                    Reply

                    nothing but a fat peace of crap

                    • 7 votes
                    Reply#7 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:09 PM EDT

                    fat or skinny, that isn't the issue... it is her BEHAVIOR

                    • 3 votes
                    #7.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:50 PM EDT

                    give piece a chance

                      #7.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:15 PM EDT

                      "Give piece a chance"? HAHAHA! She can't even give a half a slab of cow a 'chance'.

                        #7.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:59 PM EDT
                        reno 911Deleted
                        Reply

                        is some ppl just stupid or what......there was no reason to kick that child off bus......smh

                        • 5 votes
                        Reply#8 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:10 PM EDT

                        "If a bus driver or teacher or anyone makes contact with a student that results in injury, we take that very, very seriously," Steve Hagerty,

                        Evidently not as this happened 6 months ago and she is just now coming up on charges....or do i smell union?

                        • 9 votes
                        Reply#9 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:11 PM EDT

                        Exaaaaaactly.

                          #9.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:20 PM EDT

                          A union protecting her, really? More like her Republican pals trying to cover this up.

                          • 2 votes
                          #9.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:21 PM EDT

                          ExYahooUser

                          A union protecting her, really? More like her Republican pals trying to cover this up.

                          Yeah, right. Because we all know what hotbeds of Republican activism the school districts are known to be.

                          • 9 votes
                          #9.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:40 PM EDT

                          Nice try to inject your dumb ass politics into a completely unrelated situation---jerk

                          • 3 votes
                          #9.4 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:51 PM EDT

                          She looks like an Obama supporter for sure...being all angry and mean and impatient.

                          • 1 vote
                          #9.5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:15 PM EDT
                          reno 911Deleted
                          Reply

                          Special needs students, and autistic ones in particular, do not respond to things the same way typical children do. So many people misinterpret their behavior as simply being violent or defiant or disrespectful, when they're literally not living in the same world as the rest of us. It's even worse when the student is brilliant in some areas -- people tend to think "if they're so smart there's no excuse for their behavior, they should know better." They conclude that autistic children just need discipline or some other nonsense that might work for a child with a normal brain, but will simply confuse an autistic child or, worse, escalate their behaviors.

                          This driver was frustrated at a child not obeying her, angry over the child slapping her, and obviously concluded the child needed to be "taught a lesson" so she wouldn't misbehave again. The only reason she got caught was the girl was actually injured, so there was no way for her to spin it and make it look like she was in the right.

                          It requires special training to know how to interact with autistic children properly. Something as simple as demanding "look at me when I'm talking" could set off a violent reaction, since some of them find eye contact terrifying. They do not think like typical children and it's unreasonable to expect them to behave like typical children.

                          • 18 votes
                          Reply#10 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:24 PM EDT
                          reno 911Deleted

                          I agree with both of you, MSpielman and reno 911. Which is why the school district needs to be more choosy in whom they hire to work with and transport special needs children. Steve Hagerty said in the interview that "you are held to a very high standard." The school district needs to be sure then, that the hiring process has certain high standards one has to meet in order to be hired, and that their on-the-job-training is done to a high standard as well. Mr. Hagerty also said the school district is making changes, and I hope that those changes happen quickly as possible and to a very high standard.

                          My grandson was diagnosed with autism just shortly after his 2 nd birthday. After years of excellent intervention, wonderful teachers, and my wonderful daughter who spent with him the many hours of individual work outside the classroom that was recommended, my grandson has made tremendous progress. I am so very grateful that he never had to contend with a person like that driver and the emotional trauma that would cause!

                          • 5 votes
                          #10.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:06 PM EDT

                          Lisa, schools also need to provide appropiate trainning for those who work with special needs children. While apparently from the article other drivers, aids and teachers do not know how to deal those with special needs it makes it impossible to hold anyone to a higher standard.

                          • 1 vote
                          #10.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:10 PM EDT

                          MSpielman - As a mom with a 6.5 year old son on the autism spectrum, I can definitely attest to having to work with him differently than other children I have been around. He has grown leaps and bounds from where we were 18 months ago. People understood his speech about 58 percent of the time, now its in the mid 80s. I am so proud of my little man.

                          If my son was on that bus and the driver did that to him, I would have to show some serious restraint in not doing the same thing to the driver. Also, there needs to be some serious repercussions against the school district re: those two other incidents where a special needs student had died.

                          • 3 votes
                          #10.4 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:19 PM EDT

                          MSpielman

                          And I would almost guarantee that that child is a h'll of a lot smarter than the bus driver and all of the

                          school board employees put together.

                          • 2 votes
                          #10.5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:30 PM EDT

                          Good point, Daisy Do.

                          • 1 vote
                          #10.6 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:55 PM EDT
                          Reply

                          September 28, 2012. That's when it happened and charges are just now being filed? That man wouldn't be walking because if that was my child, I'd break both his ankles and legs. I bet charges would be filed the same day too. But I wouldn't have a union protecting me (yes, I'm assuming he's in one).

                          • 2 votes
                          Reply#11 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:25 PM EDT
                          reno 911Deleted

                          That's hilarious- thanks for the laugh!

                          • 1 vote
                          #11.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:59 PM EDT

                          Funny how you get to a certain point where you give up on trying to correct people, huh Reno? lol

                          • 3 votes
                          #11.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 6:42 PM EDT
                          reno 911Deleted
                          Reply

                          She needs to be driving a garbage truck instead of a school bus. Better yet, put her in the back of the garbage truck where she belongs.

                          • 8 votes
                          Reply#12 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:25 PM EDT

                          You have to wonder about the intelligence of these people that do things like this on camera. Wilkerson had to know it was there, yet she kicked the girl down the stairs anyway.

                          Maybe we should be glad that they are that stupid -- it weeds them out and keeps them away from the people they're supposed to be caring for.

                          • 10 votes
                          Reply#13 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:28 PM EDT

                          Yes! Unfortunately, she wasn't weeded out during the hiring process.

                          • 4 votes
                          #13.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:34 PM EDT
                          Reply

                          On top of the aggravated child abuse charges, she should also be charged with abuse of a person with disabilities.

                          • 9 votes
                          Reply#14 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:29 PM EDT

                          Hate crime?

                          • 2 votes
                          #14.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:51 PM EDT
                          Reply

                          @cunical - yes they can and knuckle-draggers like you get prosecuted for kicking them in retaliation.

                          As to "union" interference, I highly doubt it. Most likely, it took the local prosecuting attorney that long to file charges. Slow, no question, but that is a heinous charge and she was summarily fired for the behavior even though she had yet been charged. The union would not stand behind her after that. Nice try though.

                          • 12 votes
                          Reply#15 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:30 PM EDT
                          Comment author avatarmujihumExpand Comment Comment collapsed by the community

                          Autism ..... In earlier time it was called stupid !! Fancy name for an idiotic getover !!

                          • 1 vote
                          Reply#16 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:30 PM EDT

                          Shame on you, didn't your mama teach you, If you can't say something nice - Don't say nothing at all...

                          • 4 votes
                          #16.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:36 PM EDT

                          ... said the nearly illiterate person.

                          Einstein, Beethoven, Mozart, Isaac Newton: just a few examples of geniuses who showed signs of autism spectrum disorders. You have no idea what you're talking about.

                          • 16 votes
                          #16.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:51 PM EDT

                          mujihum - You are probably just a troll. Unfortunately, there are a few people out there stupid or ignorant enough to believe you (ignorance can be fixed, but the kind of stubborn stupidity that refuses to learn anything new cannot).

                          Note what emmygee said about some well known geniuses. And I can tell you from personal experience, that when a person takes the time to actually learn how to relate to someone on the autism scale, what that person finds is a wonderful opportunity for BOTH to be enriched and blessed. Many people with autism have a lot to offer, many times having one or more areas in their lives where they are literally above average intelligence or geniuses.

                          • 8 votes
                          #16.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:28 PM EDT

                          Why bother, plus mujihum lies their own posts.

                          • 1 vote
                          #16.4 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:59 PM EDT

                          muihum your are the idiot here. That bus driver needs to be in jail for child abuse. That said I think that it is time to start doing background checks on anyone involved with schools......

                          • 3 votes
                          #16.5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:05 PM EDT

                          J. Paris- more likely that not, she had a background check.

                          Remember, you're only a criminal once you've been caught and convicted. And, knowing that she probably had a clear BI, she'll probably be offered a plea deal to reduced charges.

                            #16.6 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:03 PM EDT

                            My son, now an adult, is on the autism spectrum, and he has an IQ of 152. In math and science, he is a genius; a prodigy in chemistry. He is not fluent in communication, but he is brilliant. In fact, I can state without the slightest hesitation, when it comes to comparing brain pans, he'd put you to shame. Then too, his mother taught him, don't speak of what you don't know, until after becoming educated on the topic. Unlike yourself, he was intelligent enough to take the lesson to heart.

                            • 1 vote
                            #16.7 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 9:12 PM EDT

                            Ro Mar - I love your post above!

                              #16.8 - Fri Mar 22, 2013 1:09 PM EDT
                              Reply

                              Someone need too kick her off the bus, the same way she did that poor little girl.

                              • 3 votes
                              Reply#17 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:33 PM EDT

                              They need to fire the whole district. One Downs child died when she wandered away from her gym class? One wheelchair-bound girl died when she stopped breathing and the adults didn't even call 9-1-1? What kind of a school district is this? I say, fire them all, all the way up to the top. And then press criminal charges against the lot of them.

                              DISGUSTING AND CRIMINAL.

                              • 3 votes
                              Reply#18 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:36 PM EDT
                              reno 911Deleted
                              Reply

                              Not only should she be fired, put her on the busiest street corner for a month or longer with a bright orange sign on her that states what her crime was... her punishment isn't harsh enough in my eyes!

                              • 3 votes
                              Reply#19 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:44 PM EDT
                              reno 911Deleted

                              Hard to say that the punishment isn't harsh enough when noone knows what the punishment is yet. She's only been charged at this point....

                              • 2 votes
                              #19.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:14 PM EDT
                              Reply

                              This lady is pathetic, work at McDonalds lady so you can eat more...... the bus driver is a total idiot hope she realizes how dumb she is when she has to check in with her probations officer for 10 years I hope

                              • 2 votes
                              Reply#20 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:45 PM EDT

                              The bus driver should be charged with attempted murder. One less Tea Bagger!

                              • 4 votes
                              Reply#21 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:46 PM EDT
                              reno 911Deleted

                              She obviously an Obama supporter, being a dyke and all.

                                #21.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:19 PM EDT

                                OH gosh, here we go. You politically brainwashed people need to get over yourselves!

                                • 2 votes
                                #21.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:26 PM EDT
                                reno 911Deleted

                                This whole thing should be collapsed.

                                • 2 votes
                                #21.5 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 7:28 PM EDT
                                Reply

                                I am glad that the fat woman got fired.. She should pay for the medical needs and be barred from any school bus companies in the country and the world... Special needs kids do not ask to be beaten or made fun of. All they want is to be accepted and be like everyone else.... The woman is clearly sick and should not be around anyone!

                                • 3 votes
                                Reply#22 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:53 PM EDT

                                There you go, inflict your out of control child onto others, then complain when something like this happens. There is enough blame to go around. Should she have pushed the child? No. Should the child be allowed to physically attack people? No. Mentally challenged or not, NO ONE has the right to strike another person, that is plain assault. If your child is so out of control, then that child needs to be in restraints. I noticed at the end of the video trying to strike the person in front of them. So let me get this straight, child is out of control, cannot function as a contributing member of society so let's pawn them off and the responsibility for them to some one else?

                                Take personal responsibility. If I have a child like that, then I need to take steps to make sure that they are in a facility where they get what they need, not just thrust them out into society to become somebody else's problem. The driver was wrong in that she should have called the cops and had that child removed to a state metnal institution and not have gotten physical with the child herself. No doubt she was wrong, but the parents and the school and school district are just as wrong.

                                  Reply#23 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:54 PM EDT
                                  reno 911Deleted

                                  SnowmanMo--We as a society are trying to evolve past warehousing the disabled and instead, figuring out ways to help them do the best they can and become all that they are capable of becoming, and to make meaningful contributions to the society in which they were born and obtained help from. People who do not want to learn how to work with autistic children should not be given jobs that involve working with them. And reno 911 made an excellent observation about NOT lifting up an injured person without first evaluating the situation.

                                  It's pretty obvious to me that you have no idea what goes on in state mental institutions. At least I hope you don't. I would hate to think that you would say such a thing if you did know.

                                  • 5 votes
                                  #23.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:45 PM EDT

                                  Reno, I can't believe we're on the same side here. I've enjoyed every one of your posts on this thread and I couldn't agree more. :)

                                  • 4 votes
                                  #23.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:13 PM EDT

                                  Hey, Slowman... This was a bus for special needs children and this girl had every right to be on it regardless of what you think. Autistic children have a propensity to strike out - it's the nature of some types of autism and there is no cure. So are you suggesting that they be locked away or kept "in restraints" always? This bus driver is clearly out of her realm and has no business being a bus driver for special needs children.

                                  If I have a child like that, then I need to take steps to make sure that they are in a facility where they get what they need,

                                  It sounds to me like you just want to do away with special needs programs. Are you really so heartless that you feel special needs children should be institutionalized? Because, you know, public schools are facilities where children with autism can get what they need. Well, provided some knuckle-dragger doesn't literally kick them off a bus.

                                  • 2 votes
                                  #23.4 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:36 PM EDT
                                  reno 911Deleted

                                  You have a short memory... We argued the other day on a thread about a girl who brought $20,000 to school. I was annoyed that a lot of people automatically assumed the girl was black and that she had "drug money" and tried to point out that there was an overwhelmingly larger white population in the town. Truth is, the article didn't say what her race was and I didn't think it mattered. But... we argued like adults (you and I) and I guess you could say it was really more of a debate.

                                  When did I get on your bad side? Ah, but you didn't. :)

                                  This story here actually sickens me and I feel there's absolutely no defense for what this bus driver did. I also feel that the people who employed her to begin with have a lot to answer for, too. What were they thinking? All bus drivers of any children, regardless of their needs, should be trained to do their job without inflicting harm on them. While autistic children can be more prone to outbursts, people are forgetting that any other child can, too. No adult should ever strike a child in this manner whether or not they just got a slap from the kid. There are other ways to deal with a child's unruly behavior and breaking an ankle by kicking them from a bus is not one of them.

                                  • 1 vote
                                  #23.6 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 5:28 PM EDT
                                  reno 911Deleted
                                  reno 911Deleted

                                  Kat, you need to add a picture.

                                  I've just done that but it doesn't appear to be showing up. Perhaps it takes time to "take root."

                                    #23.9 - Thu Mar 28, 2013 5:27 PM EDT
                                    reno 911Deleted

                                    Haha. Thanks. :) I work with a guy from China and he said that over there I have what they call "lucky cheeks." I've just always called them fat.

                                      #23.11 - Fri Mar 29, 2013 11:22 AM EDT
                                      reno 911Deleted
                                      Reply

                                      well here we go...florida again...if that was my child he would have alot more to worry about than the courts.what a first class moron...hope he does alot of time in prison....hope the child doesn't have lasting memories of the way she was treated.

                                      • 1 vote
                                      Reply#24 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 1:54 PM EDT
                                      reno 911Deleted
                                      reno 911Deleted
                                      Reply

                                      It said NOTHING About the child being out of control! The kid is 8 years old! How would you like it if someone shoved your ass off a bus causing a broken arm or leg?? It would not be fun... Kids get tired and impatient, and so do we.. There is no excuse for someone pushing a kid down a flight of stairs! NO EXCUSE... it is known that this woman has some problems in her head... If you can't handle the job then quit! Otherwise she needs to be respectful of the kids she takes to and from school every day...

                                      • 3 votes
                                      Reply#25 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:01 PM EDT

                                      Pamela Parrish

                                      You're right. The little girl is 8 & has a mental disability. She didn't "hurt" the driver. How can anyone kick a little girl?

                                      • 5 votes
                                      #25.1 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 2:06 PM EDT

                                      A human parasite!!!!

                                      • 1 vote
                                      #25.2 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 3:42 PM EDT

                                      i would rip her @!$%#ing head off if she hit my boy i truly wouldnt wait for cops

                                        #25.3 - Thu Mar 21, 2013 4:20 PM EDT
                                        Reply
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