KALAMAZOO TOWNSHIP -- Prosecutors have authorized an assault charge against a 16-year-old Kalamazoo boy accused of repeatedly beating a Kalamazoo Public Schools substitute school bus driver Tuesday, authorities said.

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Kalamazoo school bus beating (sound fixed)

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The teen, whose name has not been released, is charged as a juvenile with assault with intent to do great bodily harm less than murder, Kalamazoo County Assistant Prosecutor Karen Hayter said Wednesday. The boy, who was being lodged at the Kalamazoo County Juvenile Home, is scheduled to appear April 3 in the Kalamazoo County Circuit Court Family Division for a pretrial hearing.

Meanwhile, the bus driver, a 37-year-old Kalamazoo woman whose name also has not been released, was treated at Bronson Methodist Hospital for a broken finger and bruising, cuts and scrapes to her face and head, Kalamazoo Township Police Chief Tim Bourgeois said. The woman was released from the hospital Tuesday night, the chief said.

Police said the incident occurred at about 7:30 a.m. Tuesday on Brook Drive near Gull Road as the bus driver was taking students from the juvenile home's school and Kalamazoo Regional Educational Service Agency's Valley Center School, a facility that educates students who've shown emotional or behavioral problems. Police allege that during the trip the teen, a student at Valley Center, began verbally threatening the driver from the back of the bus, and she pulled over.

The teen, who police said was apparently upset with how the driver was performing her duties, went to the front of the bus after it stopped and attacked the driver, punching her in the face and head as she tried to radio for help, police said.

Police said other students on the bus twice pulled the teen off the driver before he stopped the attack. After the incident, the teen got off the bus, but officers later located him at his Kalamazoo home.

Kalamazoo Public Schools issued a statement that the bus driver involved was "a veteran driver and one chosen specifically to take substitute routes because of her ability and training. The driver was conducting her duties in accordance with all rules and requirements when this incident occurred."

The statement also said: "Kalamazoo Public Schools' transportation personnel are given professional development on an ongoing basis that includes positive-behavior-support training which incorporates training in de-escalating situations."

Contact Rex Hall Jr. at rhall@kalamazoogazette.com or 388-7784.

