Alamy
A family claims their five-year-old son was bound with duct tape by a school bus driver after an incident on his journey home.
The child's parents allege the boy - who has Asperger's syndrome - was on his way home from school in Chilhowee, Missouri on September 25 when, according to witnesses he had an 'outburst' which led to the bus returning to school.
Once there, the driver and the school principal are said to have wrapped the little boy's hands with duct tape to restrain him.
KSHB.com report that the boy's outraged mum phoned the Johnson County Sheriff's office and reported the incident as suspected child abuse.
The school released a statement saying it would not respond to individual student matters, but that it takes allegations of misconduct very seriously and investigates them thoroughly.
Another parent at the school said her son - who also has Asperger's - had been threatened with duct tape in the past.
Linda Lujan told KSHB that her son Connor was threatened by the same driver.
"He told us that he started yelling and was kicking the seat and Mr. Mike (the bus driver) stated that if he didn't shut his mouth, he was going to duct tape him," she said, adding that the school needs to 'get off your butts and teach your staff how to deal with kids with disabilities.'
The allegations remain under investigation by sheriff's office and the school district, and the little boy's family are said to be conducting their own investigation and planning legal action.
Surely the school must have proper policies in place for dealing with children with special needs, especially children this young?