SEMINOLE COUNTY, Fla. — A father, who was trying to protect his disabled daughter from her alleged bullies, was caught on camera (video | images) threatening students on a school bus.
However, school officials told WFTV Friday that it falls on the bus driver to control students. According to school rules, the driver is responsible.
RAW VIDEO: Alleged Bullying On Bus DAD ON BUS: Watch Raw Video | See Images
In video from the school bus recorded the day before James Jones stormed on to the bus and threatened students, there was the cackle of cruel laughter as middle school students allegedly threw a condom on the girl who suffers from cerebral palsy. They allegedly poked, pinched and shouted at her too.
It was the next afternoon that Jones unleashed his tirade.
"I'm going to (expletive) you up. Show me which one! Show me which one!" Jones exclaimed while aboard his daughter's school bus.
An angry father, but also a father in pain, he said over the torment his disabled sixth-grade daughter had been receiving for a month.
Alfonso Brundige's son was one of the kids Jones yelled at.
"Well, he's still afraid, still afraid of riding the bus, don't know if this guy's gonna be at his bus stop or what," Brundige said.
The school district said the drivers behind the wheel of the buses are not just responsible for safe operation, but for everything that goes on inside the bus.
The bus driver involved in the September 3 incident likely had never been in the situation before, because he's brand new to the job and was in his first week of driving alone.
Jones' attorney, Sadiki Alexander, said her client was doing what the driver could not.
"It has been unrelenting torment from the first day of school, so it's definitely a case of a father protecting his daughter," Alexander said.
"She's the type of girl who could easily be bullied. She's a special child," family friend Veronica Perry said.
Perry said the girl, who is in the hospital on suicide watch, would never stand up for herself.
Brundige said that doesn't excuse the father's actions.
Jones was arrested and charged with disorderly conduct and disturbing a school function. He bonded out of jail Thursday night.
The district said those kind of incidents are always reviewed.
Jones said the school did not do enough to protect his daughter.
Seminole County Public Schools released a statement Friday saying, "The incident alleged by Mr. Jones to have occurred on the school bus between another student and his daughter involved a student other than his daughter. The student involved in that incident did report the incident to school authorities. It was fully investigated and appropriate action taken. Mr. Jones did not report his concerns to school administrators. He boarded a school bus in a hostile manner and used extreme profanity in threatening the students. This is not acceptable behavior for a parent or any person to use on a bus or in a classroom. SCPS has a strict anti-bullying policy (School Board Policy 5.421) and is committed to investigating and taking action against those who violate this policy."
Officials said Greenwood Lakes Middle School had guidance counselors teach kids anti-bullying techniques last year, before the victim attended the school.
Officials said at this point, the driver will not be disciplined.
Previous Stories: September 17, 2010: Father Storms Bus, Confronts Disabled Daughter's Bullies
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