Joined: 27 Nov 2017 Gender: Male Posts: 4,191 Location: amid the sunlight and the dust and the wind
Yesterday, 11:40 pm
This is old news from September 13, 2023. I don't know if it was already covered here, but the video of the judge's decision was just posted. It, too, may have been posted at the time as well.
First, the news story which includes the video from the school bus (note that it has to be viewed on youtube):
The video of a 7-year-old boy in a restraint harness screaming for help as a bus aide slaps him several times is hard to forget. ...
...
Wednesday afternoon, Nelson got to tell Judge J. Cedric Simpson how Jefferson’s assault on her autistic child changed their lives forever.
“As a fourth generation public educator, I’m now scared to send my son to school. His faith has been destroyed by Ms. Jefferson. School is supposed to be a safe haven for children, and Ms. Jefferson took that sense of security,” Nelson told the court. “I’ve devoted my life to provide for the safety of thousands of students in our public school system, she couldn’t take care of my one [student].”
Jefferson apologized in court, but her comments fell short with the judge and her victims.
“I would like to apologize to Ms. Jaime or whatever... you know, the harm I did... whatever,” said Jefferson.
...
“If I do the 15 days, I’m probably going to lose my job now,” said Jefferson.
“I don’t really care if you lose your job. I really don’t. Because what you did to that child that day – what you did to someone’s baby that day – in my mind is inexcusable. Any harm that any jail time imposed on you causes doesn’t even compare to the harm you caused that child that day,” said Judge Simpson.
The Judge then doubled her sentence to 30 days in the Washtenaw County Jail along with five years of probation, 100 hours of community service and other requirements. If she violates her probation, she will have to serve a year in jail.
You can watch the victim's mother, Jaime Nelson, make a statement to the court, then the defendant, Rochanda Jefferson made a statement, and then Judge SImpson delivers his sentence. It is interesting how he increased the sentence after watching Jefferson make her statement.
You can watch the sentencing video at:
There seems to have been quite a cover up by the school and the bus company. The school district's superintendent, Dr. Jeanice Kerr Swift, lost her job over this, too.
The departure appears to stem from a lawsuit alleging a special education student was abused on a school bus in 2021 and the district did not review footage of the incident for five weeks. An online letter dated Aug. 5 and signed by nearly 100 Ann Arbor parents said "many of our special education families have not felt safe in our district for some time" while asking for a change in leadership.
Earlier in the last story, it seems that she got one hell of a golden parachute:
Quote:
According to Swift's employment contract, she is entitled to a one-time lump sum payment equal to 18 months salary at the time of termination. Based on her $230,000 salary, that payout amount would be $345,000.
Yesterday, 11:40 pm
