School

By Michael O. Allen, Record Staff Writer | Saturday, November 16, 1991

The Record (New Jersey) | Two Star B | Section: NEWS | Page A02

The school bus driver who police say was assaulted by five students he was taking to Leonia High School said Thursday’s attack was not the first.

George Sanint, 25, of Fort Lee is in Englewood Hospital, where he is being treated for a broken nose and a fractured left eye socket. Some of the same students attacked him 10 months ago when they were in middle school, but the school failed to do anything about it, he said Friday.

Dr. Frank Marlow, Leonia schools superintendent, said he has no record of an earlier attack.

Meanwhile, one of the accused youths signed a simple-assault complaint against Sanint on Friday, Police Chief John Orso said.

Police planned to have patrol cars follow school buses at random to prevent further incidents. A Taranto Bus Co. spokesman said an aide will be assigned to each bus.

Sanint said that upon boarding the bus in Edgewater, one of the youths blew him a kiss, which sparked unruly behavior and harassment throughout the trip.

“When you are driving a school bus with 52 kids every day,” Sanint said, “you have to concentrate on what you are doing. So it’s very difficult to drive when everybody is harassing you.”

Sanint said one of the students punched him in the eye as he stood in the back of the bus warning the students to behave. Four others then joined in.

Marlow said the district is investigating a report that the fight began after Sanint grabbed a student by the shirt collar. Sanint denies the report.

The youths, 15 to 17 years old, are from Edgewater, which sends its middle and high school students to Leonia. They were charged with aggravated assault-juvenile delinquency.

One youth’s family declined to comment; the others could not be reached.

The students were suspended for two weeks, and other disciplinary measures are possible, Marlow said.

ID: 17361186 | Copyright © 1991, The Record (New Jersey)

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)