A Colorado bus driver has been placed on administrative leave and faces misdemeanor charges of harassment and assault after allegedly slapping a 10-year-old over a mask dispute.
KKTV reported that the incident occurred in April in Fremont County, just south of Colorado Springs.
“According to documents obtained by 11 News, several girls were arguing about masks in the back of the bus. In a written statement to the school, the 10-year-old girl says she wasn’t feeling well so she moved her mask below her nose. She goes on to say the bus driver, Bertram Jaquez, came to the back of the bus to see what was happening. She writes he tried to move her mask up, and then she says he slapped her for not moving the mask up,” the outlet reported.
Jaquez provided a written statement to the school district in which he admitted to slapping the young girl. “Out of reaction, I slapped her once,” he wrote.
The incident was caught on camera, with the faces of students blurred to protect their identities.
In a statement, the Fremont County School District said Jaquez had been placed on administrative lead pending an investigation:
We believe it is never okay to lay a hand on a child. The District responded quickly to the situation by placing the driver on administrative leave so that we could fully investigate the incident. Local police were involved during the investigation as well as us being in contact with the child’s family. The driver’s action justified termination of employment, as it goes against District policy and our values. We are very saddened by this incident. Our goal every day is to transport students safely to school and back home, but that can only happen when everyone, including students and staff, follows the rules. We are currently working to identify next steps to help our drivers with strategies designed to support a safe ride to and from school.
In her written statement, the 10-year-old girl said she gets “sick from masks,” so she pulled it down over her nose and was told by other students to “put on your mask.” She said the bus driver then came back and told her to pull up her mask. She said she told Jaquez to “shut up your [sic] not involved in this,” and then he slapped her. She also said she asked to get off the bus after the incident, but Jacquez kept driving.
The girl’s distaste for wearing a mask was echoed recently in a viral video of a 10-year-old boy explaining to his local school board that “Breathing freely doesn’t seem like something we should have to ask any other people for permission for.” The boy said that he has allergies and feels anxious when he wears a mask, which he said also give him headaches. He added that his teachers regularly take “mask breaks” but that he and his classmates are not allowed to do the same.
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Source: Dailywire
