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Parent tells board surveillance video shows repeated hair‑pulling on school bus; board agrees to review notification and seating policies
Summary
A parent told the DeWitt Public Schools Board of Education that bus surveillance footage showed repeated hair‑pulling and scratching of her daughter; she said transportation lacks formal incident reports and called for mandatory parent notification and enforceable seating rules. The board asked staff to review notification and transportation policies.
A parent used the board’s public‑comment period to say bus surveillance footage revealed repeated hair‑pulling and scratching of her daughter and to urge the DeWitt Public Schools Board of Education to strengthen bus seating, reporting and parent notification policies.
“I already see anything... Hair pulling that pulled my daughter's hair up to the ceiling,” the parent said, describing what she told the board she observed after viewing the footage. She said the incident was more severe and prolonged than staff had described to the family and that the district’s response lacked documentation: “The transportation department also does not maintain formal incident reports,” she said.
The parent said the family requested access to the surveillance video on Feb. 27 and was allowed to view it on April 17 — 49 days later — and that the delay, combined with a lack of formal notification rules, left them unable to respond to their child’s needs in a timely way. She asked the board for “stronger enforceable bus seating policies” (calling out routes that mix kindergarteners with older students), a mandatory parent‑notification policy for bus incidents and formal documentation of incidents and responses.
Board response and next steps: after public comment, a board member asked staff to examine parent‑notification policies and to ensure consistency between school and transportation procedures. Superintendent Kevin Roitic acknowledged the request and the board indicated the policy committee will take the issue up for review.
Context: the comment follows a prior incident the parent referenced from an earlier year; the speaker said the family filed a police report to document the event because the district’s transportation office lacked formal incident records. The parent said her child has shown resilience but urged decisive action to prevent similar incidents.
What remains unresolved: the parent’s account was a public comment and not a formal board investigation. The district did not present a detailed record in the meeting of any subsequent disciplinary steps or an official transportation incident report; the board’s direction was to review policies and coordinate further follow-up with administration and legal counsel as needed.
