Mother Calls Out Brockton Public Schools for Son's Restraint on Bus

On Alicia Armes' front yard in Brockton, Massachusetts, she has drilled her frustration to the trees.

Two signs call out the Brockton Public School department.

"We put up the signs to let them know that we're not going to back down," said Armes. "We're not going away."

Her complaint comes down to a car seat and her 3-year-old son Chase, who started pre-school last month.

When Chase came home on the bus from his second day of pre-school on April 9, Armes found out he wasn't riding in a car seat.

Chase has special needs, and before classes started, the school district and his mother signed an "Individualized Education Program," or IEP.

They are mutually accepted guidelines for him to go to school.

One agreement was for Chase to take special transportation with a car seat.

According to a Brockton Police report, the day after the incident, the driver told police Chase was placed in a "regular seat."

She said Chase unbuckled himself and "ran down the aisle."

The driver pulled over and tried to "double buckle him, but was unsuccessful."

The driver allegedly admitted to taking a different student out of their car seat and putting Chase in it.

"The fact that he has special needs is neither here nor there," said Armes. "He was an individual student in Brockton Public Schools."

The school district has responded to her complaint.

"Brockton Public School administrators have met with the parent on several occasions and have taken actions to address the parent's concerns regarding transportation safety," said Superintendent Kathleen Smith in an emailed statement. "Brockton Public Schools also worked collaboratively with the Brockton Police Department, which conducted its own investigation of this matter and which also found no harm to the student."

Armes said she is looking to go the legal route to get Chase out of the Brockton Public Schools.

She said the process includes a petition to attend a different school district.