Darrell Thomas sued GISD in the Galveston County 56th District Court on Feb. 9, alleging the first grader was also assaulted by other students on the bus in question.
Court papers say that the girl “suffered significant injuries, emotional distress, and, ultimately, death” as a result of the Nov. 27, 2015 incident, and her father eventually “learned that multiple assaults occurred for several days consecutively without any report to administration until this last deadly incident.”
They further show the bus, which transported special needs students, operated without security cameras and an extra adult aide on board to protect the children.
“Had these GISD employees not been negligent in operating the school bus without the extra adult aide, or by making sure the cameras were operational and/or reviewed daily, these assaults would not have occurred,” the original petition says.
“At the very least, the most violent – the ultimately deadly – assault would not have occurred had the cameras been working or used properly and had the required extra aide been present on the bus for special needs children.”
Consequently, Thomas seeks unspecified monetary damages and a jury trial.
Attorney Eraka Watson of The Childs Law Firm in Houston is representing the plaintiff.
Galveston County 56th District Court Case No. 16-CV-0175