Xavier Maldonado, severely autistic young man, ran from his school bus and was nearly hit by a car. His mother claims that she requested a one-on-one attendant to be assigned to him while he’s on the bus; however, after a month, the request has yet to be fulfilled, according CBS 47.
“I received a call from his teacher telling me that Xavier ran off the bus about 7 o’clock in the morning while the bus was dropping off other kids with disabilities at Sandalwood. He ran off from the bus and he almost got hit by cars,” said Deroline Velazquez, Xavier’s mother. “Thank God for the bus driver Ms. Silvia, who jumped over Xavier to calm him down.”
Duval County Public Schools said the safety harness Xavier uses while on the bus broke during the incident, so it will have to be fixed before he’s allowed back on the bus. As for the extra aide, the school district said it has submitted a request to its transportation department, which turned it over to the bus contractor, Student Transportation of America, which ultimately provides the aide.
