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Lawsuit claims student was sexually assaulted on First Student bus

First student school bus
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BUFFALO, N.Y. (WLBW) — Disturbing new allegations coming to light about an alleged sexual abuse on board a First Student bus.

“My client and another very young client were sitting in proximity to one another, and they were directed to engage in acts upon each other,” said local attorney David Block.

Attorney Block describes the sickening and startling allegations of child sexual abuse on board a First Student bus back in May od 2019. His client, the parent of a Buffalo Public School student on that bus is filing a lawsuit.

“There’s an expectation when you send your kids to school in the morning, the last thing you would think is that something like that would happen to your children,” he said.

His client’s child was a first grader at the time. Block claims First Student failed to provide proper staffing on the bus and training to those in charge. He says it was May of last year when the then 7 year-old child was sexually abused by an older student.

“He has had quite significant mental anguish from this,” Block said.

The issue of a lack of bus aides on First Student buses isn’t new. In 2016, parents called for more aides following other allegations that multiple students were sexually assaulted on board the buses serving Buffalo Public Schools.

District Parent Coordinating Council President Wendy Mistretta says the issue hasn’t gone away.

“Over the last couple of years, we have had an issue getting enough drivers, so I suspect the issue of having enough aides has fallen down,” she said.

Both the District and First Student said it will not comment on ongoing litigation.