Bus monitor accused of taping student’s mouth shut

AUSTIN, Texas — An Austin Independent School District (AISD) bus monitor is under investigation by the AISD police department for allegedly taping an autistic student’s mouth shut, KTBC reports.

The student, 6-year-old Jean Paul Fontanez, was on the bus with his older brother, Juan Carlos Fontanez, who told the news outlet that he witnessed the incident, which occurred in mid-November. He said the monitor placed tape on his brother’s mouth while they were on the bus because “he repeats a lot of stuff,” and that his brother took the tape off and the monitor put it back on. He added that he was afraid to tell his parents. His father, Luis Fontanez, told KTBC that his son waited to tell him about what happened because the monitor told him not to say anything to his parents.

Kocurek Elementary School's interim principal contacted parents about the alleged incident and said the bus monitor resigned and that AISD police are investigating the incident, according to the news outlet.

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