Howard Co. Bus Aide Charged With Assaulting Students; School Leaders Comment

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — The case of an 80-year-old school bus aide who faces charges after he was accused of the physical and sexual assault of nonverbal students in his care has drawn a comment from the Howard County Public School System.

The school bus aide, Albert Rice, Jr., remained in jail over the weekend and has since been denied bond. He has been suspended from his job with Bowen's Bus Service since the February incident. Linwood Center partners with HCPSS.

While investigating one incident involving Rice and his duties for the transportation company, Howard County Police uncovered a second incident. They were informed of an assault involving a nonverbal student on a bus and pulled the video. Detectives found evidence of Rice hitting a 13-year-old nonverbal student and also found that Rice hit, and inappropriately touched, another 13-year-old student, Howard County Police told WBAL.

"She has special education needs, she is autistic, she is nonverbal. She communicates through a tablet (and) can only communicate through a tablet," said Ellen Flynn, the Yost Legal Group attorney representing the second victim. "So, she's a particularly vulnerable girl. My understanding is, based on what they've seen on the video, she was hit and she was inappropriately touched."

According to charging documents obtained Friday by 11 News Investigates, video showed the incident in which a teenager hit Rice, who then hit the teen when she was secured in a seat belt. The charging documents state Rice admitted to investigators that he was frustrated with the victim when he hit her in the face.

"My understanding is, there's a driver and an aide, because these particular children need an aide on the bus with them. The assault happened from the aide," said Flynn. "We understand it was complained about when someone on the bus was able to communicate in some way that they had been hit. My client, did not, was not, able to communicate like that. So, we found out about her assault by the videos that were reviewed by the detectives in Howard County."

Howard County Board of Education Chair Jolene Mosley and Howard County Public Schools Superintendent Bill Barnes sent the following message to school district families:

"...Linwood Center is one of our non-public placements serving students with autism, some of whom are nonverbal. This is deeply disturbing news, and we echo our community’s feelings of disgust and disappointment that a trusted adult would harm any child in this way, particularly a child with a disability. We are appalled whenever we hear reports of child abuse, but the nature of these allegations makes this situation especially troubling. As parents, our hearts go out to the children who ride that particular bus, and their families who are undoubtedly experiencing immense pain and anger.

"When the bus driver became aware that an assault may have occurred between the bus attendant and a student, they reported it to their contractor. The video from the bus was quickly reviewed and HCPSS staff immediately reported it to Child Protective Services. The bus attendant was quickly removed from the bus and disqualified as an HCPSS bus attendant pending the CPS and police investigations. In the meantime, staff from the HCPSS Department of Special Education have been working to provide support to the affected students and their families.

"As with all HCPSS employees, contracted bus drivers and attendants undergo extensive background checks, fingerprinting, and training on child sexual abuse and assault. They are also trained in the proper use of safety equipment on specialized buses and are considered mandated reporters, meaning they are legally required to report any suspected or known cases of child abuse or neglect to the appropriate authorities. Additionally, Linwood Center administrators have confirmed that they provide specific training to transportation staff on autism, behavior intervention plans, and incident reporting protocols."

HCPSS officials are working with the Howard County Police Department, Linwood Center administrators and the bus contractor in the investigation.

"We will continue to engage with the Autism Society of Maryland, as well as the Special Education Citizens Advisory Committee to provide collaborative support for all families with needs. We have no tolerance for any adult who harms a child in our school communities or contracted vehicles," the school district stated.

Anyone who suspects child mistreatment or abuse should immediately call the Department of Social Services at 410-872-4203 during business hours. After hours, call 410-313-2929 or email HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov. Callers can remain anonymous. Police have said they do not believe there are other victims but ask that anyone with information call detectives at 410-313-STOP or email HCPDcrimetips@howardcountymd.gov.