Lydia Aivaliotis’ 18 year-old son Terry lives with a condition called Mowat Wilson Syndrome. It’s rare and affects less than 200 people globally and it’s the only confirmed case in Canada.

Terry is confined to a wheelchair and needs help with daily tasks like eating, getting dressed, and going to the bathroom. He also receives special transportation from the Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region.

Last Wednesday, September 14th, Terry was coming home from St. David Catholic High School in Waterloo when his mother says he was spat on multiple times.

His mother says Terry was making playful noises with his mouth when the bus driver took exception; turning around and spitting on him. His caregiver witnessed the incident and called his mother. She tells 570 News it’s time the region’s special needs kids are looked after. “I want to see changes. I want to see cameras. I think all those individuals and children need assurance that our children are safe.”

General Manager Benoit Bourgault with the Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region confirms to 570 News that the bus driver was terminated yesterday.

Aivaliotis is calling on the Waterloo Catholic District School Board to change it’s transportation services for it’s special needs students.

The school board contracts out Voyageur Transportation Services to handle it’s bus services.

In an email statement to 570 News, Chief Managing Officer with the Waterloo Catholic District School Board John Shewchuk says the board is looking into the matter. “It’s always concerning when the school board hears allegations about transportation providers. We obviously take the safety and security of all students very seriously.”

570 News spoke with John Shewchuk and he says school board officials have spoke with the mother of Terry.

“The counsel to her (Lydia) was to go and have a chat with the Student Transportation Services of Waterloo Region. They from my understanding have took immediate action.”

Shewchuk adds any issues with an operator of a bus needs to be dealt with by the transportation consortium that has been contracted to provide that service.

“That’s why we have to go through the consortium that contracts the services for us and that’s the proper procedure to go through.”

The Waterloo Catholic District School Board has regular meetings with the transportation consortium and Shewchuk says this issue will be at the top of the agenda at it’s next meeting.

“It’s obviously a very serious situation,” says Shewchuk, “Mom is absolutely right to be totally appalled by what happened but rest assured, this will be a high topic on the very next agenda to discuss to see if there were any holes in procedures, were all proper procedures and precautions taken, what happened here and how it can be prevented from happening again.” […] “It shouldn’t have happened, it’s terrible that it happened and I think the person that is responsible for it has faced some serious consequences.”

Back in 2011, a similar incident took place when a support worker was jailed for 90 days for abusing Terry.

570 News has reached out to St. David Catholic High School for comment.