KENT, Wash. --Disturbing video taken onboard a Kent school bus shows a student in a wheelchair tip over and crash to the floor.
The Kent School District has apologized for the incident, but the child's mother says more needs to be done to ensure the safety of students with special needs.
The incident happened on a ride home from school in January. School district staff onboard the bus can be seen on video, rushing to help the child involved.
"To see our child who is so vulnerable and helpless, to see her tip over like that, it was absolutely heartbreaking," said Natasha Hall.
That was Hall's reaction after seeing the video of her seven-year-old daughter, Charlotte, falling to the floor.
"She has a large number of tumors and growths in her brain due to Tuberous Sclerosis and as a result she is mentally only about six months old," said Hall. "She is 1000% dependent on adult care at all times."
A spokesperson for the Kent School District said the bus driver failed to properly secure the wheelchair.
"We're very regretful this happened, and we are very apologetic," said Chris Loftis, who is the Head of Communications for the Kent School District. "This was wrong. It did not meet our standards, and we're going to work to make sure it never happens again"
He said the district's protocols and procedures were reviewed and adjusted after this incident. In addition, the bus drivers and nurses who attend to special needs students on the buses were given new training.
Hall feels even more needs to be done.
She has thorough documentation showing this was not the first time her child has been injured at school. She says this is more than a school bus issue, it's an issue regarding the safety of special needs students throughout the Kent School District.
"I just don't want anybody else to have to go through this," she said.
That's why Hall decided to post the video on her Facebook page, and encouraged other people to share it. Her hope is to raise awareness about what can go wrong if the proper care and attention isn't paid to a child with special needs. At last check, the video she posted on Facebook had been viewed more than 180,000 times.
"We have enough battles with having a disabled or special needs child. Going to school should not be one of those battles," she said. "They are violating her civil rights."
Hall also said that since she posted the video on Facebook, she's heard from a lot of other parents of students with special needs.
"They are having the same problems with their school districts," she said. "So it gives me hope that this will make it to where this hopefully doesn't happen anymore. It gives me hope that people actually care."
