Bus drivers, families tell Henry County board repeated assaults demand action

At the Henry County Public Schools board meeting on May 20, 2026, multiple public commenters pressed district leaders to take immediate steps after a string of violent incidents involving students with special needs on school transportation.

Teresa Ross, who identified herself as a substitute bus driver with HCPS Pupil Transportation Dispatch, said she was attacked on March 11 while working on a special-transport route and described being struck in the head, having hair pulled out and suffering injuries treated in an emergency department. “I was beaten in my head, neck, and shoulders. My hair was snatched out. I was beaten multiple times and clawed with fingernails on my face,” Ross said, adding that she received a tetanus shot, muscle relaxers and antibiotics after the incident.

Her daughter, Tia Ross, who said she is a case worker and a parent of a child with autism, urged the board to adopt proactive safety measures and expanded training. “With autistic children…a smell, a touch, even a new person can trigger that child,” Tia Ross said. She called for staff to experience the mini‑bus environment and for drivers and aides to receive practical training on triggers and de‑escalation.

Robert Ross Sr., who said he had been attacked last year while driving a school vehicle, told trustees he placed accountability with district decision makers rather than drivers or aides. “You all should take responsibility and accountability for the issue continuing to happen because you are doing nothing to be proactive,” he said.

Mary Martin, speaking from the Ridgeway district, emphasized public access to meetings and budgets but also urged attention to the safety concerns raised and accurate public information about the timeline of prior salary votes.

Board members heard repeated requests that administrators review bus video footage and clarify why students with known histories of aggression were returned to routes without safeguards, and that transportation staff be given actionable guidance about students flagged as potentially aggressive. Commenters asked whether parents or guardians would be held accountable when students injure staff.

The board did not take a formal vote on policy changes during the meeting. Speakers repeatedly asked the board to view and act on video evidence; no administrative response adopting new protocols or a timeline for review was recorded in the meeting transcript. The public comment period closed after the four speakers finished.

What happens next: commenters asked the board to review video recordings and report back with concrete steps—training requirements for drivers and aides, written protocols for transporting students with challenging behaviors, and clarity about who decides when a student returns to regular routes. The transcript records requests and described incidents but does not record a board directive or implementation timeline at this meeting.