VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. — A family has filed a federal lawsuit against Virginia Beach City Public Schools, claiming their son was harassed and assaulted by two employees on a school bus last year.
The lawsuit was filed by Antonio and Crystal Mauro last Friday in the U.S. District Court for the Eastern District of Virginia, nearly a year after the incidents happened in February 2023.
Their child, who was 8 years old at the time, has Down syndrome and is non-speaking, according to the lawsuit. He was a student at Princess Anne Elementary School when the incidents happened.
Along with the school system, the Virginia Beach School Board, former Superintendent Aaron Spence, several school officials, and the employees accused — Ralph Denton and Lester Langhorne — were named in the Mauro family's lawsuit.
The lawsuit claims that on the morning of Feb. 23, 2023, Langhorne and Denton — along with another adult accompanying another student — "openly berated and ridiculed" the child in front of other students.
Langhorne was also accused of yelling at and assaulting the child several times that morning, including shoving him into a seat and slapping his arm. The lawsuit has several photographs of the alleged incident attached.
According to the lawsuit, Langhorne used a seatbelt restraint on the child, despite Denton, the bus driver, warning him that they weren't allowed without the school's permission. Denton didn't take any action against Langhorne, the lawsuit said.
The adult accompanying another student also suggested putting the child in a heavy-duty garment bag and hanging it up.
The lawsuit claims Langhorne continued abusing the child on the afternoon bus ride, including slapping the child on the hand and yelling at him in his face.
The next morning, the child was making "throaty" noises while on the bus, which the lawsuit states was due to his disability. But the lawsuit claims Denton got in the child's face and threatened to use the seatbelt restraint. Langhorne was not on the bus that morning.
According to the lawsuit, Antonio Mauro learned what happened after Denton texted him to notify him that his son was misbehaving.
"Believing that his son's disability did not give him a pass on behavior, Mr. Mauro asked to see the videos so that he could review his son's behavior to take appropriate action," the lawsuit states.
The Mauros are seeking monetary damages, as well as an order prohibiting the school system from putting the child on a bus without parental permission and providing alternative transportation in the meantime.
When reached for comment, a spokesperson said Virginia Beach City Public Schools doesn't comment on any matters in litigation. They later confirmed Langhorne is no longer employed by the school system, but Denton remains an employee.
Langhorne was found guilty of misdemeanor assault and battery in this case, the lawsuit states. Court documents obtained by 13News Now show that he was sentenced to 30 days in jail, five of which were suspended.