Statesman obtains video of Emmett bus incident

In response to a public records request, the Idaho Statesman obtained video that shows a former Emmett school bus driver physically and verbally confront a student with disabilities.

Click here for the video of the April 12 incident — and a Tuesday story on the Statesman records request.

At one point in the 95-second video, the driver can be heard saying to the child, “I don’t care if I hurt you.” The driver then pulls the student out of his seat on the bus.

Jennifer Harvey, the mother of the 9-year-old child, has filed a police report, saying her son was assaulted. Emmett police are investigating the case, according to the Statesman.

The driver has not been identified, but Emmett superintendent Wayne Rush tells the Statesman she resigned within a couple days of the incident.

The district released the video Tuesday, after initially rejecting the Statesman’s request. And in a letter to the Statesman, Rush voiced his objections to the release. While Harvey had consented to its release, Rush disputed the contention that the newspaper had the child’s consent.

“The student did not consent and nine year old children are not able to give consent to have their private information released and printed in the Statesman and posted on your Web pages,” Rush wrote to the Statesman. “They do not understand the consequences or the impact of this decision. The responsibility for protecting the privacy of our children rests with the adults and I believe that includes those working at the Statesman.”

Harvey discussed her son’s condition in a previous interview with the Statesman.

 

Kevin Richert

Kevin Richert

Senior reporter and blogger Kevin Richert specializes in education politics and education policy. He has more than 30 years of experience in Idaho journalism. He is a frequent guest on "Idaho Reports" on Idaho Public Television and "Idaho Matters" on Boise State Public Radio. Follow Kevin on Twitter: @KevinRichert. He can be reached at [email protected]

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