Teen with special needs sexually assault on school bus, mother wants student responsible to be charged

HENRY COUNTY, Ga. - A Henry County mother wants answers and action taken against those who knew about the incident involving her daughter and waited until after school to tell her.

"It's a range of emotions," says the mother, who FOX 5 is not naming in an effort to not reveal her daughter's identify. "I am sad. I am hurt."

The mother says her 18-year-old daughter, who has the mental capacity of a seven-year-old, was sexually assaulted during the school day.

"By the time I heard about it was after 4 p.m. My daughter was already home," the mother told FOX 5's Kerry Charles. "She was placed on the same bus with the same people."

According to the report filed the next day with the Henry County Sheriff's Office, the student was sexually assaulted while on Henry County school bus 1877 during the morning route on October 31, 2019.

That bus was headed to J.B. Henderson Center in McDonough. Henry County Schools operates the facility.

The mother we spoke with wants to know what staff members were doing at the time of the incident.

"No one can tell me what the people were doing. There is a driver and there are two aides on the bus, and no one can tell me what they were doing and why they didn't intervene."

According to the report filed with the sheriff's office, the suspect is a juvenile. The focus of the investigation is sexual battery.

The sheriff's office tells FOX 5, the other student, who also attends J.B. Henderson, also has special needs. This mother wants him charged.

"Anyone in the chain who should have contacted me or should have done something in this process, they should all face some type of action."

Henry County Schools released a statement to FOX 5. It says:

“We do take matters like these seriously, and a full investigation is underway by the School Resource Officer and the Henry County Sheriff’s Department.  The safety and security of our students is of the greatest concern for our district.  The district’s internal findings into the matter have led to employment action for two transportation employees.”

"I don't want this to happen to anyone else's child. My child has been through trauma that's unnecessary."

The mother says she struggles with removing her daughter from the school because she knows she needs consistency.

She also told us the school system did not alert other parents about this incident.