Bus driver jailed after allegedly assaulting special needs teenager

The driver has been placed on administrative leave

Robert Scarborough has been placed on administrative leave

An Iowa school bus driver was detained after allegedly assaulting a student with special needs.

Other students on the bus recorded what appeared to show a confrontation between the driver and the 15-year-old.

Reports said that the teenager was not following the instructions of the driver. CBS said the boy said something inflammatory and threw something at the driver.

At that point, the the driver, Robert Scarborough, stopped the bus and a confrontation reportedly ensued.

Gracie Foster said she filmed what transpired on her cellphone and started recording the violent confrontation.

“The bus driver threw him down on the ground and yelled at him," she said. "I was shaking and everyone was crying."

Students on the video can be heard crying and screaming at the driver to stop.

The driver returned to his seat and drove to the next stop. Students saw a police car parked nearby and ran off the bus to alert the officer.

According to the Johnson Police Department, Mr Scarborough, 61, was arrested at the scene and taken to jail on charges of “assault causing injury and child endangerment”.

The Johnson Community School District posted a statement on their website, saying in part: “It appears as though the driver made a series of poor choices regarding how to handle the student's behaviour.”