Bus aide knocks out teeth of kid with special needs who asked for juice, IL cops say

A school aide in Illinois is accused of knocking out the teeth of a student with special needs who refused to get on a bus, authorities say.

The boy was about to board the school bus in Kane County, Illinois, when he asked Jean Micklevitz — who was assigned to be his helper — for a juice box on Oct. 2, prosecutors said. When she told him that food and drink weren’t allowed on the bus, he refused to move from the steps, according to a news release.

Then Micklevitz, 63, grabbed the child, dragged him toward his seat and hit him in the face several times, prosecutors said. The blows knocked out two of his teeth, prosecutors said.

Micklevitz was charged Wednesday with aggravated battery of a child. If she’s convicted, Micklevitz could go to prison for up to five years and register for 10 years as a violent offender against youth, prosecutors said.

Superintendent Todd Stirn said the school district fired Micklevitz and the school bus driver, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Stirn didn’t say how the driver was involved, the newspaper reported.

“We take matters of student safety seriously,” Stirn told the Chicago Sun-Times. “This was an isolated incident, and we immediately followed our established district protocols to address it.”

Authorities did not release the child’s age, only saying he is younger than 13. He is a student at Burlington Central School District 301, located about 50 miles west of Chicago.

Micklevitz lists herself on social media as a captain for the Burlington Fire Protection District, the Daily Herald reported.

This story was originally published October 24, 2019 at 1:24 PM with the headline "Bus aide knocks out teeth of kid with special needs who asked for juice, IL cops say."