A 14-year-old Missouri boy with Down syndrome whose mother says he “gives people hugs all the time” has been suspended from middle school for allegedly sexually harassing a bus aide, a school official told FoxNews.com.
Desi Mayberry, Central R-III School District superintendent, told FoxNews.com that Aleczander Tate Scott, of Park Hills, Mo., grabbed an unidentified female bus aide while aboard a school bus last Wednesday and imitated a "sexual act" while on top of the woman, who is no longer considering pressing charges for sexual harassment.
"He grabbed her around her waist, like a bear hug, and then he gets on top of her and moves in a sexual motion, imitating a sexual act," Mayberry said.
The aide then "screamed for help," leading the school bus driver to separate the boy and the aide, Mayberry said. The incident led to a "short-term" suspension for Scott, according to Mayberry, who declined to indicate exactly how many days the boy was banned from school.
Mayberry said all of the district's buses have security cameras, but added that the boy's mother, Tonia Fujimoto, was not allowed to see the footage of the alleged incident despite her requests, citing district policy.
Fujimoto told FoxNews.com on Tuesday that her son has been out of school since last Thursday. His suspension will last through Jan. 5, she said. She vehemently disputed the allegations.
"The teachers and the administrators are not educated on children with developmental disabilities and they don't want to be educated on them," she said. "All they want to do is push them out of their doors."
Fujimoto said her son doesn't understand why he is being kept out of school.
"How can you put a sexual harassment charge against someone who doesn't understand sexuality? It doesn't really take my faith of people away, but it reminds me of the ignorance in this world," she said.
Fujimoto said she has since requested that Aleczander be transferred to another nearby school district, a request she said administrators have approved pending his acceptance. She has consulted an attorney regarding possible juvenile charges to be filed against her son, she said.
"I still want to see the tape, but I'm more worried about what charges might be brought against him," she said. "And how do you explain to him that he can't go to school?"
Editor's note: An earlier version of this story identified the boy as Aleczander Fujimoto. His name is Aleczander Tate Scott, his mother told FoxNews.com when contacted on Tuesday.
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