By STEPHANIE A. JAMES
Staff Writer
An Appomattox County mother is willing to go great lengths to increase awareness of a bullying incident that occurred last spring on a school bus involving her son and two teenage boys.
Roxanne Haskins held a press conference Friday where those in attendance were able to view bus surveillance footage that showed her then 10-year-old son being bullied by two 15-year-old boys.
The video was obtained through a Freedom of Information Act Request made to the Appomattox County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office.
“I am prepared to take the video from the courthouse to the White House,” Haskins announced to 40 people at the press conference, which was held at the Carver-Price Cultural Center.
Haskins has already filed a $31 million civil lawsuit over the incident.
In February, a jury found former bus driver Nancy Davis not guilty of child neglect – a charge she faced after the bullying took place on the bus she was driving from the Rivermont School in Lynchburg to Appomattox County on May 5, 2011.
Based on the video and testimony, the teenagers’ actions against the 10-year-old included screaming profanities at him, name calling, choking, hitting, and using a cigarette lighter to burn the thigh area of the boy’s pants.
During Davis’ trial, Deputy Commonwealth Attorney Les Fleet argued that Davis did not intervene to stop the bullying.
Haskins maintains that school officials did not protect her son, who is a special needs child.
After the incident, Haskins sought the help of Virginia State Field Director for the National Action Network Lawrence Garnell Stamps, Sr.
Stamps announced that some national and state dignitaries have been notified about the incident.
“We have contacted Rev. Al Sharpton. He said he would come here,” said Stamps, who is a lifetime member of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.
Among the list of other people that have been contacted include the Richmond Mayor Dwight Jones and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton.
Haskins said that multiple calls to School Superintendent Dorinda Grasty have not been returned and that she has not heard from her since April 2011, about the time when her son started experiencing harassment on the bus.
Unhappy with the lack of response from the school board and administration, Stamps announced that they are calling for the resignation of Grasty.
During a question and answer session with the media, Haskins said that Davis’ trial should not have been in Appomattox County due to conflict of interest.
She noted that in November that a full jury could not be selected because so many people were disqualified for being former employees or current workers of the Appomattox County school system.
Since the children on the bus either had special needs, emotional or behavior problems, Haskins does not understand why an aide was not on the bus.
During the teenager’s trial for disorderly conduct, Haskins said that the teenagers admitted that her son did not provoke them.
Also at the press conference, Haskins said her son was treated unfairly.
“My son, Cequan Morris, was a victim of bullying and racism,” said Haskins, who also stated that her son’s civil rights were violated. “My son was entitled to a safe transportation.”
Haskins said that her son has nightmares because of what happened and he is receiving counseling.
She also discussed how her son already suffered from anxiety prior to the incident and has been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder after he was bullied in May 2011.
Currently pending is a civil suit against Davis, the division’s transportation supervisor Matt Lair, Division Superintendent Grasty, and the Appomattox County School Board for negligence. Each party is being sued for about $6.5 million.
“I do believe justice will be served in Cequan’s case,” Stamps said. “It is what is right. It is not so much about the amount.”
A date for the civil trial has not been set, according to Haskins’ attorney Anthony Tacconi.