A disturbing video shows a devastating punch by a teenage special needs student on another, an 11-year-old boy.
The scene then turns into a barbaric fight with the violence lasting for nearly a minute.
Rochelle Braithwaite has seen the video over and over again. She says it tears her heart, because the 11-year-old who gets popped in the eye is her son Gabriel, “The first time I saw the video I was just unbelievably hurt for my son and angry.”
What was going through Gabriel’s mind during the entire fight: “Why did you do that you stupid dummy?”
The family is now seeking help from law enforcement because two adults were right there on the special needs bus: the driver and the monitor are not seen intervening.
Braithwaite says it is indefensible considering that they are there for one reason: “to protect the students, the safety of the students.” When asked if they failed at that task? “Yes they did, they definitely did,” she quickly responded.
Yitzy, an operations manager at Seman Tov bus company, said: “my driver did everything correct, they called the police and we spoke to the district the following day.”
Adding that the driver and the monitor failed to intervene because, “we’re not allowed to physically touch any student.”
He also said that the tempers began flaring before the two even got on board the bus: “there was an issue at the school with the kids on the bus.”
We went to Woodcliff Academy in Wall, New Jersey were a representative of the school told us to call and leave a message. She then informed us that someone will be getting back to us shortly. They never did
Meanwhile less than 24 hours after the incident, Gabriel asked his mother the following, “How come they didn’t change the bus aide?”
The bus company admitted they eventually made a change, but Brathwaite couldn’t believe that the the school or the bus didn’t take quick preventative action from the get-go, “Nothing happened immediately after that.”
The bus company had no reaction as to why a change did happen by the next day.