By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Friday, November 15, 1991
The Record (New Jersey) | 5 Star | | NEWS | Page B01
A 25-year-old school bus driver was attacked by five of the students he was taking to Leonia High School Thursday morning and was hospitalized with facial injuries, police said.
George Sanint, an employee of the Taranto Bus Co., suffered injuries to his nose and left eye, Fort Lee Police Chief John Orso said. Sanint was in stable condition in the Englewood Hospital emergency room Thursday, a hospital spokeswoman said.
The youths, Edgewater residents between the ages of 15 and 17, were each charged with aggravated assault-juvenile deliquency and were released to the custody of their parents, Orso said. Edgewater sends students from seventh grade through high school to Leonia.
Dr. Frank Marlow, superintendent of the Leonia school district, said the five boys have been suspended for two weeks.
“The school district has taken very strong actions against the youngsters involved, and we are investigating the alleged involvement of the bus driver as well, the extent to which he instigated this,” Marlow said. “This is not to excuse the students. They’ve been severely punished. We just don’t tolerate behavior like this.”
The incident occurred about 7:50 a.m. on Anderson Avenue, near Route 5 in Fort Lee. Marlow said the school was investigating a report that Sanint stopped the bus when he heard two students, one black, the other white, hurl racial insults at each other in jest.
“From what I heard, the bus driver thought the remarks were directed at him,” Marlow said.
ID: 17361063 | Copyright © 1991, The Record (New Jersey)
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