The public will never know what happened to a Blue Earth Area (BEA) School District student accused of hitting a bus driver.
“My office does not comment on juvenile delinquency investigations, charges or proceedings,” says Cameron Davis, Faribault County Attorney.
Mandy Fletcher, superintendent of BEA schools, says data privacy laws prevent her from saying whether the 17-year-old boy was disciplined, such as detention or suspension.
While the student’s name would not be revealed, one form of discipline could be made public.
“For any expulsion to commence for any public school student in Minnesota, the school board would need to approve,” Fletcher says.
In juvenile cases, special procedures have been established to deal with children younger than 18 years old.
Most juvenile court cases are not open to the public, except for serious crimes committed by children over the age of 16.
In some cases, the court can certify a child to be tried as an adult. That would transfer the case to adult criminal court and open all proceedings to the public.
Results of an investigation conducted by BEA school resource officer Barry Meyers were turned over to the County Attorney’s Office last month.
During an afternoon route a bus driver reportedly noticed two boys fighting in the rear of the bus as he was leaving the high school parking lot.
The bus driver returned back to the school and contacted school officials who were waiting outside the building.
While being escorted off the bus, the 17-year-old boy allegedly struck the bus driver in the face. According to authorities, the other juvenile involved in the fight was an 11-year-old boy.