BAMBERG, S.C. (WHDH) — A 17-year-old boy is expected to face charges after he allegedly slapped a young girl on the face while they were on a school bus in South Carolina.
Terry Peters said when he picked up his 5-year-old daughter Jasmine from her after school program last week, he noticed a mark on the left side of her face. He immediately took a picture and was told by workers at the program that a high school student hit her on the school bus.
“He had reached over that seat and he was telling another girl if you don’t hit her, then I’m going to hit her for you,” said Peters.
Security video on the bus shows Tavon Walters grabbing another student’s hand and using it to hit Jasmine on the right side of her face. The picture Peters got shows the mark on Jasmine’s left side, which is why school officials and police are unclear if Walters is responsible.
School Superintendent Phyllis Schwarting said it is common for students of all ages to share a bus in rural school districts. However, Peters’s attorney said he wants to know why Walters was even allowed on the bus in the first place. According to police, Walters is on probation.
Peters said nobody from Jasmine’s school notified him about his daughter allegedly getting slapped on the school bus. Schwarting said this is because the bus driver did not notice it.
Peters said Jasmine is physically OK but is now scared to ride the bus.
Walters is expected to be charged with third-degree assault. The school’s principal is recommending that he be expelled.
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