JOHNSONVILLE, SC (WBTW) – A parent in Johnsonville says she is still baffled at what she discovered Tuesday afternoon when she picked up her 4-year-old from the bus stop.
She says his pants were down to his ankles.
4-year-old Jayceon James school day usually begins here at Head Start in Johnsonville however, it’s how his day ended on the bus that has his mother Lisa Singletary worried.
“He was doing everything he could when he got off the bus to keep his pants up. I was highly upset,” said Singletary.
James along with other kids in the Head Start program rides the school bus with Johnsonville Elementary School students.
“So I went back to bus and asked him [the bus driver] what went on with my child. He looked at me and shrugged his shoulders,” she explained.
After approaching the bus driver Singletary then went in front of both the school and Florence School District Five.
There she learned the video from camera didn’t record the incident.
“Because he hit a bump in the road it miraculously turned everything off and it didn’t record anything,” she stated.
Just a day prior, Ashley Blanding says her 3-year-old daughter Cameron McKnight left the same bus with scratches on her face.
“It really just hurt me to see her skin to the white meat. It just looks like an attack,” Blanding said.
While Blanding says the district was able to review the video from the bus.
In a statement from Superintendent Randy Smiley:
“Whenever a concern is brought to the attention of Florence Five about a student, the administration takes the matter seriously. Consistent with our obligation as educators, any situation that should be referred to law enforcement or other agencies is promptly forwarded. Further, in keeping with applicable provisions of law and the policies of the board of trustees, the administration is required to maintain the confidentiality of student information.
I am able to share, though, that late yesterday afternoon, a parent made a report about her child to a Florence Five principal. In accord with standard practice, the principal immediately began looking into the allegation and also notified appropriate officials of the claim. Unless otherwise deemed appropriate, the administration will not discuss the details of the assertion publicly.
In short, the Florence Five community is well-known for its support and concern for young people, and I assure parents and others that our staff’s highest priorities are student safety and the offering of high-quality instruction on a daily basis to the children entrusted to us.”
Smiley says that there was a camera problem on Tuesday on the bus in question. The camera is now working.
Singletary plans to file a civil suit against the district and both parents have pulled their children from the Head Start school.
