In a horrifying incident that has left a Howell Township family devastated, a school bus aide allegedly struck an 8-year-old autistic, nonverbal boy with a trash-grabber tool while he was on his way home from school. The boy’s parents have filed a lawsuit against the Howell Township Schools, private bus company First Student, and multiple individuals, accusing them of negligence, retaliation, and failing to protect their son.
The alleged assault, which occurred on March 13, 2024, was captured on the school bus’s surveillance camera, according to the lawsuit. The boy, bleeding and sobbing, was dropped off at his home with a cut on his hand. Brooke Barnett, the family’s attorney, described the video as “one of the most disturbing” she has ever seen, showing bus aide Quinton Schwartz hitting the child multiple times.
The incident was compounded by deceit, the lawsuit claims. The bus driver and aide allegedly lied about what happened, blaming the boy’s injuries on an altercation with another student. Schwartz now faces charges of endangering the welfare of a child, with the case pending in Monmouth County Superior Court.
Adding to the family’s anguish, the school district initially told them the bus driver and aide were fired. However, the parents later discovered they had simply been reassigned to another route.
The lawsuit alleges that the school district retaliated against the family after they announced their intent to sue. The boy has been subjected to increasing restrictions, barred from activities like gym, recess, and field trips, and even moved to a new class with fewer familiar faces and increased isolation.