LEHIGH ACRES, Fla. — A Lehigh Acres family is upset with the Lee County School District after they say their 5th grade son, on the autism spectrum, was in a fight on the bus.
Fox 4 took the family's concerns to the district to see what could be done to better support their son.
Watch below to see how the district responded:
"He got off the bus all bloody," said Joshua Negron, the child's father.
He and Alisha Jackson, the child's mother, said his shoes, clothes, book bag and mouth were bloody as well.
He is diagnosed with autism. He is an Exceptional Student Education (ESE) student and has an Individualized Education Program (IEP). It's a legal document specifying a student's special education needs.
"Who is responsible, who is going to help us keep my son safe?" Negron said.
We took that question to the Lee County School District and confirmed the details the family presented. Fox 4 specifically asked if students with disabilities are with an attendant to and from school?
A spokesperson for the district said this about their policy:
"We do have bus attendants. They ride ESE buses with students who have a requirement for an attendant to ride the bus with them. An attendant would be part of an ESE student's individual education plan. Parents are involved in developing an IEP and, at a minimum, it's yearly review."
When we asked the Negron family if their son has an IEP plan, they said yes. However, it does not include transportation because they do not want their children on different buses.
"We don't want him to be separated, or by himself," the parents said.
The family says they feel sending their child on a separate bus other than his siblings, just to have an attendant is not best for his mental health.
The school district says they have a no fighting policy and both children in the video and any child(ren) who recorded it are all suspended for a week.
The parents say they don't feel their child should be punished and are worried about bullying.
