Valerie Gillespie, mother of the assaulted boy photo: CBC

CBC News Parent Valerie Gillespie wants Szerman fired and more training at Pat and the Elephant.

P.E.I.’s Eastern School District has permanently banned a driver from transporting its students, following an assault conviction for rubbing spit on a disabled child’s face.

The incident occurred last spring. Brenton Gillespie, 14, was with his sister on a Pat and the Elephant van, a service for people with disabilities.

Gillespie has a condition causing a number of physical disabilities and which leaves him with the mental capacity of a three-year-old.

He has trouble swallowing, which leads to a tendency to spit.

On the day last spring, Gillespie spit on the van door as he was leaving. Driver Pablo Szerman scooped the spit off the door and rubbed it on Gillespie’s face.

Szerman pleaded guilty to assault, and was given a conditional discharge. Pat and the Elephant suspended Szerman from driving minors until September.

Now the Eastern School District, which contracts out to Pat and the Elephant to drive some of its students, said it has placed a permanent ban on Szerman.

Gillespie’s mother Valerie said she was pleased by the district’s action, but said it is hardly enough.

“I don’t think that this man should be driving anyone with a special needs,” she said.

“Brenton isn’t going to be 14 forever. He’s going to be an adult. And I think we really have to send a message to everyone that these kids need to be taken care of.”

Gillespie thinks Pat and the Elephant should fire Szerman and put its drivers through more training on how to properly handle passengers with special needs.

Nobody from Pat and the Elephant was available Tuesday for comment. The company has said in the past it has no plans to relieve Szerman of his duties.

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Thank you CBC Charlottetown

Viewer comments

John David

This whole incident was just terrible and it should not have even taken this long to make sure this person was not driving for the Eastern School District.

But it does ask some serious questions.

Firstly how can the Eastern School Board relive this guy but than keep on a a bus driver who is charged and convicted of impaired driving?

Would this not be a double standard. It is okay to drink and drive but NOT okay to try and discipline a child? While I agree this guy above should have been fired but we do have to wonder what the Board is thinking by keeping a convicted impaired driver and most likely acholic on the payroll driving our kids.

Secondly…we see the eastern School Board standing up supposedly for the handicapp but at the same time see the Chair of the Board actually painting over a Handicapp Decal on a Parking spot at the Eastern Board Office. Just so the chairman could have the closest parking spot to the door.
This does again indicate a double standard in regards to how the eastern Board treats people with disabilities.

There are some serious questions that need to asked about the management and operations of the eastern Board and it is time the public gets the answers.

Andrew Of Richmond wrote:

If they won’t fire a convicted criminal, discharge or not, then tender out for the service and relieve the company of its obligations (and tax money).

bettya.purdy wrote:

This bus driver has a nasty disposition. Never, ever let him drive ANY children or adults with disabilities. Yes I understand the frustration as I have an autistic grandson BUT if you are their caretaker, even as the bus driver, you MUST NOT lose your cool. Has the bus driver apologized to the boy and his family?

Shame, shame on the bus company for having planned on bringing him back in September. They should not be used at all by the school board for any kids what so ever. The owners themselves obviously do not understand the needs of the disabled riding on their buses.

lyndatwo wrote:

A disabled person, mentally or physically, is a disabled person. Why advocate for one but approve restrictions for another ? Of course I am referring to Mr. Stephen Pate’s shi–y deal from the media hotshots. One’s an adult, one’s not. I suppose that might make some difference.

I don’t believe this driver should lose his job. Someone should have explained the child’s spit problem to the driver before this incident happened. Chances are, he wouldn’t have touched the kid if he knew the spitting to be a part of the kid’s disability. I imagine the driver simply thought of the spitting incident as very disgusting and unhealthy behaviour, especially in light of all the new diseases hovering around us. That does not excuse the driver’s own behavior but does mitigate his actions somewhat. I’m sure many of us today know how hard it is to NEVER lay hands on another person. If you approach four or five persons huddled in the middle of the sidewalk and they not only don’t move to let you through but also totally ignore you, don’t you ever think about giving one a boot in the arse for their ignorance. I do. But then I tell myself they have never been taught any better. If your mentally or physically handicapped child is going to be in someone else’s care temporarily then make sure that caregiver knows the kinds of things he/she might have to deal with.

Haggis 03 wrote:

So he can drive older people with a mental age of 5? It’s the same problem. Fire him.

News Ninja wrote:

JD

Pablo should be fired.. If anyone assaulted my child it wouldn’t be them going to jail it would be me for what I would do to them.

I fail to see the double standard. Pablo got off very easy!

I have witnessed a two year old on their birthday threaten to kill their mother with a plastic screwdriver.

Even someone with a mental capacity of a three year old can still be vindictive, spiteful and hateful.
But assaulting someone over spit on a door, no matter the circumstance is more wrong than I can imagine when the person is under your care.

My Point wrote:

Having a seventeen year old daughter, who is mentally challenged,I felt compelled to comment on this issue. My daughter functions around the level of a 5 year old, althought fortunately she does not have some of the physical issues this young man has. I am supprised that the Eastern school Board is contracting out such a service to a private company such as Pat & The Elephant. To my knowlege, this is not the case in the Westen School Board. My family and I live in Summerside and our daughter is picked up by a special needs school bus, equiped for wheel chairs etc. She is picked up and dropped off every school day at our front door and the drivers have always been professional, dispite the obvious difficulties that would occur in a bus with such a variety of challenges on board. There is also usually a helper on the bus besides the driver in the event there is individual that has real issues with behaviour taking the bus. This allows the driver to drive safely. The driver in the situation described in the article should not have done what he did, although even I can understand getting frustrated at some things – but that was inappropriate. The bus company and the school board needed to get together and figure out the best way to handle things. Personally I would prefer the bussing of special needs students handled the way the western school board in our area handles it.

Cignesx1 wrote:

Good decision this person should have been put in prison I wounder how many other people he did it to and was never caught. Shame on you. The family should civil suite szerman!!!

Heather G. wrote:

A drinking-and-driving conviction is ok, though.