A Michigan bus driver has resigned from his position after he was caught on camera assaulting a deaf student. He also faces two criminal charges.
MLive reports the assault took place on Feb.5 on a Genesee County school bus around 3 p.m. where 61-year-old Thomas L. Norton was caught on camera slamming a student’s head against the window. Genesee County Sheriff Chris Swanson says based on the footage that Norton may have lost his temper when he grabbed the adult student by the head and slammed it multiple times while saying “Stop it”:
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“… You know that students can push your buttons, but you have to have a good temperament, you have to have some good discernment of what you can do and what you can’t do. Physically touching, harming, assaulting a student is off-limits.”
“The adult (student) has some challenges … (and) wasn’t able to respond and because of that … the GISD brought it to our attention the next day when they found out…. (We) immediately made contact with the individual’s families,”
Norton and his assistant were initially placed on administrative leave but the pair have resigned from their positions. Assistant Superintendent Steve Turncliff said the Michigan School for The Death informed them of the situation last week:
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“We immediately acted, working hand in hand with the Genesee County Sheriff’s Office and Adult Protective Services.”
Norton faces two single counts of third-degree vulnerable adult abuse assault and battery.