Public Statement -- Monroe County Schools and Monroe County Sheriff's Office -- Jan. 4, 2019
The Monroe County School System and the Monroe County Sheriff's Office would like to issue a joint statement regarding an incident that took place on a Monroe County school bus on December 4, 2018, during an afternoon route. News regarding this incident on the school bus has been carried locally and throughout the state in the past days, and we want to provide as much information as possible regarding this matter.
The Monroe County Sheriff's Office was notified of the alleged incident on the afternoon of December 4, 2018. Subsequently, an Incident Report was filed at the Sheriff's Office. Investigation of this matter began immediately with both the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and Monroe County Schools reviewing bus tapes, starting the student discipline process with principals of schools, and reviewing the incident per personnel protocols. All processes regarding student discipline from the schools have taken place and are continuing with established protocols in the school district. The case is still under investigation with the Monroe County Sheriff's Office and charges are being filed. However, due to ages of children, the school system nor the Sheriff's Office can comment on identities or details of the discipline.
In reviewing bus tapes and accounts of student witnesses, neither the school system nor the Sheriff's Office have found any evidence that the bus driver had any visibility or awareness of this incident while driving the bus on the route. As soon as the incident was reported to the driver, it was reported immediately to school officials to investigate.
The safety and well-being of our students is of utmost importance in all settings, including the bus. Our schools, our school system, and local law enforcement have worked tirelessly to ensure that the student victim and the parents in this case have been treated with love, care, and empathy. The school system and the Sheriff's Office are both committed to providing support for this student and the family.
It is our hope that this information is helpful for our stakeholders and citizens in understanding more about this incident as we work to make our settings as safe as possible for our children. We will continue to work together with our school leaders, local law enforcement, bus drivers, students, parents, and our community to investigate ways that can make our school buses safer for children.
Monroe County Schools
Monroe County Sheriff's Office
# # #
