HILLSBOROUGH CO., Fla. — The Hillsborough County Public Schools released a statement on Monday after a county school bus aide was arrested on a child abuse charge.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office (HCSO) said deputies responded to a Cypress Creek Elementary School regarding a child abuse call on Jan. 9.
WATCH: Hillsborough County school district releases statement after bus aide arrested, charged with child abuse
When deputies arrived on scene, HCSO said the victim's mother reported that her 9-year-old nonverbal son with autism might have been struck on the school bus by his aide.
An investigation found that the bus aide, 79-year-old James Savage, had physically struck the victim on one occasion, per deputies.
The report said Savage struck the victim on the top of his hand, and he was also observed removing his hat and slapping the victim on the side of his face with it.
Savage was arrested and is facing one charge of child abuse.
"If we don't protect our children, it's just like who will," said Erica Williams, a parent with a 3rd grader who goes to Cypress Creek Elementary.
Williams has a son who rides the same bus as Savage, and said her son took a photo earlier that morning, sharing his concerns about Savage acting rude with the students.
"It was kind of frustrating, and simply because my son had just told me that morning that the bus aide seemed fairly irate ... pretty much just saying how the bus aide verbally was just telling all the students on the bus to shut up, and things of that nature and it hadn't been the first time," Williams said.
That was the first time Williams said her son had told her about Savage, which is why on Monday she went to file a complaint against Savage and the bus driver. She learned later that he had already been arrested.
This incident, also raises concerns for parents within the autism community, like Stacey Hoaglund, the President of Disability Advocacy Support Specialists.
"It's so completely appalling just to think about somebody abusing a child that they know cannot tell mom and dad," Hoaglund said.
Hoaglund said if the camera didn’t stop Savage from acting inappropriately, she said she worries about what this could mean when there are none.
"Anytime that we hear of a child being mistreated, abused, disrespected in any fashion, when there is cameras present, we have to automatically assume that that is actually when they're on good behavior," Hoaglund said.
Hoaglund and Williams said they want to see both Savage and the bus driver be held accountable.
The Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office said the bus driver is not facing charges at this time.
And the Hillsborough County School District said the incident is under review.
Statement from the Hillsborough County Public Schools:
"We are deeply concerned about this incident. The individual has served as a bus attendant since 2020 with no prior complaints. He has been immediately removed from duty while the Sheriff’s Office conducts its investigation, and the district will proceed with the termination process. The safety and well-being of our students remain our highest priority."
This is an ongoing investigation.
Pasco County Case
The Tampa Bay 28 I-Team has been investigating a very similar case of a student with special needs, slapped by a now former bus assistant in Pasco County. But that case has a major difference. Neither Pasco County Schools, nor the Pasco Sheriff's Office will release the video. Not even to the child's mother, Gretchen Stewart.
Watch update from Kylie McGivern on the Pasco County incident
The school district told Stewart the video "has been made a part of our risk management file in the anticipation of litigation, and is thereby not subject to public disclosure."
The district then pointed to a state statute related to school security as another reason to deny her the video.
The I-Team broke the story over the summer and in November, Stewart filed a lawsuit against the Pasco County School Board.
“They told me flat out, no, you can't see the video," Stewart said. "My only recource, I felt, was to seek legal help."
The lawsuit alleges negligence, vicarious liability, and a violation of the Florida Equity in Education Act, which prohibits disability discrimination in education.
The Pasco Sheriff's Office stands by its view that the surveillance video on the school bus is exempt from public records under state law. When the I-Team mentioned the case out of Hillsborough County, they were told, "We can't comment on another agency's decision, and it doesn't affect our release decisions."
In December, a spokesperson told the I-Team, "I do want to reaffirm the District’s commitment to student safety and our focus on hiring and retaining only the most qualified and trusted individuals to serve our students. Student safety is always our priority."
The I-Team reached out for any additional comment on Monday, but has not yet heard back.
Pasco County Schools has until January 20 to respond to the lawsuit.
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