Lawsuit alleges Lowell failed to protect 8-year-old from abuse on school bus

A Lowell mother alleged in a lawsuit that the school district failed to do enough to protect her 8-year-old son after he was reportedly sexually assaulted by a 10-year-old boy on the bus.

The mother sued the city of Lowell and the bus company on Friday in Middlesex Superior Court. Neither the mother nor her son are identified in the suit.

The mother says she complained to the school district in 2018 as soon as she found out about the abuse, which had allegedly gone on for months. She claims school officials assured her that the other student would be removed from the bus and separated from her son.

But her son reported he continued to see the other child both on the bus and in class.

Attorney Carmen Durso, who represents the boy and his mother, said the district was required to do whatever was necessary to protect the victim from further harm. That includes separating students, as the mother requested.

"Schools are contractually obligated to make sure that students are able to get their education without being subjected to sexual abuse or sexual harassment," Durso said. "It's a very simple concept."

The mother is also suing the school bus company for failing to stop the abuse. The suit notes there was no monitor on the bus, just the driver.

Attorneys for the City of Lowell did not respond to a request for comment.