DEARBORN, Mich. – A whistleblower says he’s a father first -- and he couldn’t stay quiet after what he says he saw on a special-needs school bus.
Tarrance Williams-Armstrong, 27, worked as a bus monitor for First Student Management LLC, a company that transports students with special needs.
He says that on Jan. 16 in Dearborn, he witnessed a 22-year-old passenger engaging in explicit behavior within view of about 10 nonverbal children -- some as young as 4.
Williams-Armstrong says he intervened, secured the passenger back into a harness and reported what happened.
He and his attorney, Dionne Webster-Cox, say the behavior was not a one-time incident and that prior complaints had been made.
Williams-Armstrong says the company’s response did not match the seriousness of the situation, and that he did not see corrective steps that would prevent it from happening again.
Williams Armstrong was fired Feb. 9, he and his attorney say.
They say he was told his services were no longer needed and that he should not have physically touched the passenger.
Williams Armstrong and Webster-Cox have filed a lawsuit against First Student seeking his job back and changes to policies and oversight.
The company said it cannot comment, citing pending litigation.