Questions Sparked After Black Special Needs Student Dies On New Jersey School Bus

A family is mourning the death of Fajr Atiya Williams after someone they trusted wasn’t paying attention.

Williams, a nonverbal special needs child, was strangled by her wheelchair harness on the way to Claremont Elementary in New Brunswick, New Jersey, and now the bus driver is facing charges, My Central Jersey reports. Amanda Davila, a school bus aide for Montauk Transit Services, was charged on July 20 with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child.

John McDonald, a prosecutor for Somerset County, says that after Davila secured Williams in her seat, the child slumped down during the bumpy ride, causing the four-point harness to tighten around her neck and block her airway. Davila, who was seated toward the front of the bus, had been using her cell phone with earbuds in her ears.

Williams’ mother, Najmah Nash, said her daughter suffered from a rare health condition called Emanuel syndrome, which causes learning challenges as well as growth and development challenges. Nash learned of her daughter’s passing after receiving a phone call from the school reporting that she was unresponsive and CPR was being performed. After being taken to Robert Wood Johnson Specialized Hospital, the child died.

“Something went very wrong today with transportation and someone needs to be held responsible,” Nash said. “This doesn’t need to happen to anyone else. We need to love on our kids and make sure they are being taken care of when we put them in the hands of the hands of any board of education.”

The Montauk Transit Services released a statement, according to CNN, regarding the tragic incident. “All of our employees know that the safety of children we transport is our top priority, which is why we are fully engaged in the law enforcement investigation and support any punishment that the justice system determines appropriate for the bus monitor who has been arrested,” the statement read.

Fajr Atiya Williams‘ family has launched a GoFundMe page to help raise $10,000 for the victim’s funeral and medical expenses.