Yakima School District Sued over Shocking Sexual Assault Allegations on Bus

According to a lawsuit filed against the Yakima School District, an elementary-age child with Down Syndrome was subjected to repeated assaults and abuse which was caught on camera on a Yakima School District bus.

According to court papers and information released Monday by Tamaki Law firm, the 8-year-old girl suffered the abuse in February and March of last year.

The child rode the bus to Adams Elementary School, and was subjected to a variety of abusive behavior.  Some of the allegations, according to court papers, are shocking:

"The instances of abuse included, but were not limited to, punching, pinching, scratching, hitting, slapping, kissing, fondling of A.R.’s chest, pulling her hair, touching her crotch inside and outside her clothing, forcing A.R.’s head onto the perpetrator’s crotch, forcing A.R. to touch and massage his inner thigh, and forcing and physically manipulating A.R. to rub, fondle and masturbate him. All of these instances of abuse were recorded by the bus surveillance video." (from a summary of the suit by way of Tamaki Law).

Suspicions about the abuse began around March 27th 2014, when the girl arrived home suffering from bruises, deep scratches and blood on her face. Officials investigated and discovered the abuse had been happening for months.  Yakima School officials could not provide bus video surveillance dating further back than last February, but a police investigation showed it had likely begun in September 2013.  The perpetrator was expelled from school, and the bus driver was suspended for two days without pay for "supervision concerns."

The suit does not list a specific dollar amount, but does request an amount that will "fairly compensate" the victim as well as covering attorney's fees and court costs; and any other relief the court "deems just."

No initial response was issued by the Yakima School District.