Video footage from a Buffalo school bus refutes a young boy’s claims
that he was sexually assaulted in December while on the bus home from a
Catholic school, according to a source familiar with the investigation.
Investigators
have retrieved the surveillance footage from the day of the alleged bus
incident and found nothing on the video to substantiate that the
6-year-old accuser was sexually molested by an older student.
“The videotape does not support the allegations of abuse,” the source said.
The Catholic Diocese of Buffalo echoed that stance Tuesday.
“Our
investigation of the allegation of abuse, including a review of the
videotape, does not support the claim of abuse,” the diocese said in a
statement.
The Buffalo Public Schools – which provide
transportation for students attending diocesan schools – also refuted
the claims, but stopped short of providing details.
,,,
In the case from December, video footage from the bus has been a source of contention since the beginning.
The
mother said, at first, that she was told the video didn’t show
anything. Then, she said, the school told her that there was no video.
One official later said the video from the bus had “timed out.”
“If
they had evidence that refutes the allegations, that should have been
forthcoming right in the beginning,” said Samuel L. Radford, III,
president of the District Parent Coordinating Council. “Until we know
the whole story, we give the benefit of the doubt to the child.”
The parent council filed the complaint with the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Civil Rights.
Whatever
happens with this case, Radford said, the parent council will continue
pressing for an aide on each bus. Otherwise, he said, the situation is
not safe, particularly when there’s commingling on buses between younger
and older students.
Surveillance video refutes boy’s claim of sexual assault on Buffalo school bus - City & Region - The Buffalo News
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