WASHINGTON — Two Fairfax County school employees are facing charges after police say they assaulted an 11-year-old boy with autism on a school bus twice in one week.
Fairfax County Public Schools bus driver James Duffy III, 62, and school bus aide Edmund Bailey, 35, are charged with assault and battery after police say they assaulted the 11-year-old on Oct. 11 and Oct. 13. Both assaults were on a school-bound bus that caters to children with special needs, said Officer Kent Bailey, a Fairfax County police spokesman.
“There’s no exact cause or reason for why this [assault] took place,” Officer Bailey said.
A staff member witnessed the second assault and intervened, Officer Bailey said. The staff member then notified a superior at the school, which led to an investigation, he added.
Detectives watched surveillance footage from the bus and issued warrants for Duffy and Edmund Bailey’s arrests. Both suspects turned themselves in, police said. Edmund Bailey resigned from his position as an aide; Duffy is on administrative leave.
The assault appears to be an isolated incident, Officer Bailey said.
Police have not released any additional details about the assault at this time. The name of the school the student attends has not yet been released.
WTOP has reached out to Fairfax County Public Schools for comment. The school system did not reply by the time this story was published.
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
