School Bus Aide Arrested on Child Abuse Charges

Wire Service
By Wire Service
April 4, 2019US News
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School Bus Aide Arrested on Child Abuse Charges
Man in handcuffs. (Philippe Huguen/AFP/Getty Images)

WEST PALM BEACH—A Palm Beach County school bus aide was arrested on Wednesday, April 3, after police said he abused special needs children.

Michael Tolliver, 54, of Boynton Beach faces charges of aggravated child abuse and child abuse causing bodily harm.

The police report says one incident occurred Feb. 14, at Rolling Green Elementary School in Boynton Beach on a special needs bus.

school bus driver adandons students on the way
Stock image of a school bus. (Michael Schueller/Pixabay)

The report says Tolliver put his hands around the neck of a child, lifting the student off the ground.

The police report says Tolliver is 6 feet, 300 pounds while the victim is about 4 feet 9 inches and weighs about 80 pounds.

Police investigated and found other incidents of abuse where they said Tolliver “used his position of authority to knowingly, willfully and intentionally abuse and exploit the vulnerabilities of children who, by virtue of their disabilities, cannot speak for themselves.”

BUS AIDE BUSTED | A Palm Beach County school bus aide is facing multiple counts of child abuse. –>> WHAT WE KNOW: http://bit.ly/2uLyjko

Posted by WPTV on Thursday, April 4, 2019

The report says investigators have “clear and convincing” evidence of the abuse.

It is unclear how long Tolliver has worked for the school district.

Tolliver is scheduled to be in court Thursday morning.

Child Abuse

An estimated 674,000 children were determined to be victims of maltreatment in 2017, according to the Department of Health & Human Services’ Administration for Children and Families.

Of the victims, about 75 percent were neglected, 18 percent were physically abused, and 9 percent were sexually abused.

Nationwide, an estimated 1,720 children died from abuse and neglect, a decline from the 1,750 children who died from the same in the previous year.

Officials said there was an increase in the number of referrals to Child Protective Services for an investigation but that there was a decline in the number of maltreatment cases, a phenomenon they will be probing.

Of the abused children, 25 percent were younger than 1 year old. Another 52 percent were between 1 year old and 5 years old.

The children who were killed by abuse or neglect were also overwhelmingly young, with about half of the fatalities being younger than 1 year old. Boys made up 58 percent of the deaths.

Perpetrators of abuse or neglect are most often in the 25 to 34 age range. More than four-fifths (83.4 percent) of the perpetrators were between 18 and 44 years old. Perpetrators were more likely to be female.

How to Report Suspected Child Maltreatment

If you suspect a child is being abused or neglected, contact your local child protective services office or law enforcement agency so officials can investigate and assess the situation. Most states have a number to call to report abuse or neglect.

To find out where to call, consult the State Child Abuse and Neglect Reporting Numbers website.

The Childhelp organization can also provide crisis assistance and other counseling and referral services. Contact them at 1-800-4-A-CHILD (1-800-422-4453).

“Every year more than 3.6 million referrals are made to child protection agencies involving more than 6.6 million children (a referral can include multiple children),” according to Childhelp.

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