Superintendent/bus company lie about circumstances surrounding beating of 1st grader on bus

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NILES, Mich. — Sources have confirmed with REAL News Michiana that it appears Niles Community Schools’ Superintendent Dan Applegate and the company the district uses for bussing lied multiple times in statements made regarding an incident in which a 7-year-old boy was viciously beaten by a much older child on a school bus last week.

In a statement made by Applegate, he claims the bus driver was unable to stop due to safety protocols. The bus company later told WSBT that the driver was on a two-way highway at the time of the fight. However, background evidence in the video shows the bus was actually still in the parking lot of Ballard Elementary School during the initial attack.

“Immediate and abrupt stopping of the bus is not always feasible due to protocols and
regulations designed to ensure the safety of all students on board.” Applegate wrote in a statement to the community on Sunday.

Screenshots clearly show the bus was still in the Ballard Elementary School parking lot next to another bus when the fight started. It also shows the Ballard Elementary School playground, which can be seen and compared to photos from Google Maps below.

The new evidence appears to show a pattern of lies from Superintendent Applegate and the bus company, including Applegate’s initial claim that there was only one adult on the school bus. It turns out, there was a driver and an assistant on the bus at the time of the incident.

The incident happened last Monday, March 4th, and involved Ballard Elementary School students. RNM spoke to the father of the 7-year-old boy (who will not be identified in this story). The father tells RNM, that he was first notified of the incident after his son was dropped off at daycare by the woman who watches his children. The father says he called the school district’s bus garage the very next day. At that point, he was told that the district was looking into the incident and they would be calling him back. The father tells RNM he then called on Wednesday and Thursday — never hearing from the school district again. On Thursday night, he saw the video posted online of of his son being beaten by a much older, 5th grade student.

“On Friday morning I went to the school to speak with school officials and the police.” The father stated.

Superintendent Applegate’s letter about the incident appears to contradict nearly everything the father told RNM only hours earlier.

“I want to assure you that immediate actions were taken even before the student video was posted online.” Applegate wrote. “These actions included collaboration with the local police department and the initiation of our disciplinary process. Our buses are equipped with video cameras, which have been instrumental in our review of the situation. Both the school district and the bus company are actively evaluating additional measures to further enhance the safety of our students and prevent such situations from occurring in the future.”

According to the father, who tells RNM he has full custody of his son, the school district has not allowed him to view video taken by cameras mounted within the school bus. The father also tells RNM the girl who beat his son has had several discipline issues in the past, including being banned from riding the bus. RNM has not been able to confirm those details.

The father has since taken all of his children out of Ballard Elementary School and is exploring legal options. You can watch cell phone video of the incident that was taken by another student below.

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