A Texas bus aide was arrested after a video allegedly showed him assaulting a student.
Donald Ray Tisdel, 45, of Houston, who worked as a Conroe ISD bus aide, was fired and arrested after a video that appeared to show him beating a student went viral.
Arrest reports show that Tisdel had a previous criminal record that included robbery, possession of drugs, and failure to stop and render assistance, according to the Montgomery County Police Reporter.
Conroe ISD has not commented on how someone with a criminal background like Tisdel’s could be hired by the district.
The victim of the bus incident was allegedly a 17-year-old foster child who was sent to the emergency room after the attack. Eyewitnesses said he never fought back against Tisdel.
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Video footage appears to show a man beating the student at the front of the bus as other students watch and record the mayhem. One student tells the man he is being recorded and suggests he will lose his job. Someone also implores the victim, who is referred to as “Big Mike,” not to fight back.
The video went viral within 24 hours, and Conroe ISD responded with a statement confirming the incident and stating that the man in the video was fired.
“We are disturbed by this unacceptable behavior which is not representative of our hundreds of hard-working transportation staff,” the statement reads, per the Texas Scorecard. “The individual is no longer employed by the District, and the Conroe ISD Police Department is completing their investigation with the expectation of pursuing criminal charges.”
Tisdel was arrested and charged with assault causing bodily injury, a Class A misdemeanor offense. He was released on bond, which included certain conditions, such as not having contact with anyone under 18.
A similar incident occurred in Dallas ISD back in April when a district employee allegedly punched a student at Justin F. Kimball High School in the face. The incident led to students staging a walkout-style protest to demand the district increase transparency and release a detailed incident report, as previously reported by The Dallas Express.