Bus driver jailed after allegedly assaulting special needs teen
An Iowa school bus driver accused of assaulting a special needs student is behind bars.
Other students with cellphones recorded the violent confrontation Thursday in the back of the crowded bus, reports Elaine Quijano of CBS News' digital network, CBSN.
According to kids on the bus, the 15-year-old special needs student was not following the instructions of the driver. When the student said something inflammatory to the driver and allegedly threw something at him, the driver stopped the bus.
Gracie Foster grabbed her cellphone and started recording the violent confrontation after driver Robert Scarbrough stopped the bus.
"The bus driver threw him down on the ground and yelled at him," said Foster. "I was shaking and everyone was crying."
You can see on the video as the student throws an object at Scarbrough. He then walks towards the student and, according to police, grabbed the special needs student by his jacket, pulled him out of his seat and struck him in the face.
"He hit him in the head and he has a disability in his head so he's supposed to be watching us, not hurting us," said Ady Serdarevic, who was sitting next to the student.
Students on the video can be heard crying and screaming at the driver to stop.
The driver returned to his seat and drove to the next stop. Students saw a police car parked nearby and ran off the bus to alert the officer.
According to the Johnson Police Department, Scarbrough, 61, was arrested at the scene and taken to jail on charges of "assault causing injury and child endangerment."
The Johnson Community School District posted a statement on their website, saying in part: "It appears as though the driver made a series of poor choices regarding how to handle the student's behavior."
Scarbrough has been placed on administrative leave.