Mother sues District 189 and bus service for son's assault

The mother of a six-year-old elementary school student is suing East St. Louis School District 189 and Laidlaw bus service for failing to protect her son from being molested on the bus.

Khaduah Nash claims the school district and bus service furnished bus supervisors, but breached their duty of care by failing to adquately monitor student activity.

"That on or around May 9, 2006, a minor female traveling upon a school bus operated by Laidlaw and believed to have been attending Clark Middle School within District 189 as a student demanded that plaintiff pull his pants down, upon which time said minor female committed a battery upon plaintiff, in that she fondled and bit the penis of plaintiff...," the complaint filed Aug. 25 in St. Clair County Circuit Court states.

The child plaintiff is a student at Edgemont Elementary School.

Represented by Stanley M. Brandmeyer of New Baden, Nash claims her son has and will continue to suffer severe and permanent disabling injuries.

"He has experienced both great physical and mental anguish, and in the future will continue to require counseling and/or therapy, that plaintiff will be required to expend large sums of money in his treatment, and that plaintiff has paid and will continue to pay large sums of money for medical and other treatment," the complaint states.

Nash is seeking in excess of $50,000 in damages.

"Both defendants, District 189 and Laidlaw, furnished supervisors for the students for the transport of the children, and owed a duty of exercising due care and caution in the transport of the children," the complaint states.

"That the said defendants owed a duty of care to protect plaintiff and other students like him from assault and/or battery committed by other students."