By Taylor Boyd and Jessica Dillon
Division staff and residents addressed the Henry County School Board about the safety of drivers and students during school transportation at its April 2 meeting.
While filling in as a substitute bus driver, Teresa Ross said she was attacked by a special needs student on the morning of March 11.
“I was beaten in my head, neck, and shoulders. My hair was snatched out, I was beaten multiple times, and clawed with fingernails on my face, both of my hands, and my chest area,” she said.
Ross said she was taken to the emergency room by ambulance and treated for her wounds, including what medical personnel considered whiplash from the blows to her head.
“I was given a tetanus shot, muscle relaxing medication, antibiotics,” and other medication, she said.
Since the attack, Ross said she and her family have struggled to process the incident.
“As my autistic grandson would say, ‘I am happy, I am sad, I am angry.’ I was not given any type of instruction about this student being possibly aggressive. This student, among others that I know of, has a history of aggressive behavior that I feel HCPS (Henry County Public Schools) has not addressed,” she said.
Ross asked why the student was allowed back on a different school bus after attacking another aide without any restraints for her safety or the student’s.
“Why do you continue to put our drivers and our aides as well as our teachers and other professionals in situations? Why are we not being proactive instead of reactive?” she asked.
Ross said investigations often focus on how the driver or aide handled the situation rather than addressing the root causes.
“When will the parents and/or guardians be held accountable? I have continued to be told about students’ rights, yet as a driver do I have any rights? Should I feel safe doing my job?” she asked.
Noting the special needs population is growing, Ross said the school division has shown little preparedness for this growth.
“Incidents that I know about continue to happen and are pushed under the rug. I have been a bus driver for more than 15 years, and I enjoyed it up to this point. This situation could have led to a completely different outcome if I had actually been driving,” she said.
Tiara Ross, mother of an autistic child, noted that April 2 is National Autism Awareness Day and April is National Autism Awareness Month, which promotes inclusion, understanding, and acceptance for individuals on the spectrum.
“Not only safety for the students, but also safety for the Henry County staff, safety for your drivers and your bus aides,” she said.
Tiara Ross said transporting neurotypical children differs from transporting neurodivergent children.
“I know that transporting students is very important to get them from point A to point B, but autistic children or children that are developmentally” delayed – “they’re different. A smell, a touch, even a new person can trigger that child. A bus driver may not constantly be aware of all those triggers, those potential aggressive behaviors, the extreme outbursts, the meltdowns,” she said.
She compared knowing how to handle aggressive behaviors to knowing how to respond when a child has a seizure.
Some special needs students, Tiara Ross said, should ride separate buses to prevent overstimulation.
“My son who is autistic rides a special needs bus, and I exemplify the importance of behaving on a bus. I have been a case worker and a social worker for nearly 20 years, and one thing that I exemplify with my parents and my homes is the importance of being proactive instead of reactive because when you’re proactive you know what could happen and that you’re ready for that. When you’re reactive a situation has occurred and you have to handle that situation differently,” she said.
Robert Ross Sr. said he is concerned about attacks on bus aides and drivers by special education students.
“My first concern is that there should be zero probability and zero percent chance of a student unbuckling their own seatbelt and having the ability to get to a driver from behind while the driver is seat belted in their seat, maintaining the control of the bus or a car,” he said.
He said he believes the blame lies with the school division’s administration, not the children or staff.
“Because to my knowledge these are the people that view the videos of these incidents happen, and when the videos are viewed it appears as though the finger is pointed everywhere but where it should be. You all should take responsibility and accountability for the issue continuing to happen because you are doing nothing to be proactive, you choose to be reactive and not even to a point where it makes a difference,” he said.
Robert Ross recalled a similar incident while driving a school bus in April 2025.
“I was attacked by an 18-year-old student, about 5’9 in height and about 240 pounds. He grabbed my arm from the back seat and bit through two shirts and caused a wound that took about three-and-a-half months to heal. No protocols was in place to handle that situation,” he said.
He said it took 45 minutes for a nurse to arrive and another hour-and-a-half before he could leave the school.
He urged the board to view incident videos if it has not already done so.
“Show some change and accountability can take place. If you are already aware of this issue and not pushing for immediate change for the safety of drivers, aides, students, and the general public, then you are prolonging the problem by requiring an immediate solution,” he said.
In other matters, the board:
*Heard from Mary Martin, who addressed a raise for school board members approved in March 2025, noting board members have the same pay and benefits as the board of supervisors, as allowed by the General Assembly.
*Presented Southside Virginia Regional Technology Consortium (SVRTC) awards to staff.
*Recognized Campbell Court Elementary Media Specialist Dr. Becki Bishop as ALSC 2026 Notable Children’s Books Co-Chair.
*Learned that Superintendent Dr. Amy Blake-Lewis received the Martinsville-Henry County Veteran’s Honor Guard Appreciation Award.
*Recognized April as Virginia School Board Association (VSBA) workforce readiness month.
*Recognized BETA, band, and JROTC students, Shockwave Robotics Team members, student athletes, and College Board National Recognition Program award recipients.
*Approved consent agenda items, including 2026-2027 Perkins grant plan for Virginia Department of Education submission, FY 2026 categorical transfer requests, $195,560 contract for a new intercom system at Bassett High School, purchase of up to 12 65-passenger school buses totaling $1,608,204, $800,000 contract for dining room and classroom furniture, $452,700 bid for Career Academy meeting space renovations from SCAP grant and one percent sales tax funds, $162,000 contract for architectural and engineering services to replace main electrical switchgear at Bassett and Magna Vista high schools.
*Heard presentation on G.W. Carter Elementary academics and attendance.
*Heard superintendent and committee reports.
*Approved personnel report and addendum.
