Disabled Teen Says He Was Beaten On Bus

CENTERVILLE, Tenn. -- A Hickman County teenager said he was beaten on a school bus because he refused to hit a girl.

VIDEO: Disabled Student Claims Girl Beat Him On Bus

Dustin Lane was born with cerebral palsy, and he said he's always been a fighter.

"I believe I'm just like everybody else,” Lane said.

But it was a different kind of fight on a Hickman County school bus that left the 16-year-old battered and bruised.

"He's got red marks all on the side of his head here where that girl beat him with her fists,” said Lane’s mother, Tammy Ortega.

The fight started with someone throwing paper wads and condoms. Dustin said he's often picked on because of his disability.

"They want him to ride a handicap bus, but Dustin's got, you know, his pride,” Ortega said.

When something like this happens, officials said, Hickman County schools have the right to suspend students from riding the bus, and a parent can press charges.

Hickman County Schools’ superintendent Dr. Jerry Nash said he's aware of the fight, but said unfortunately school bus violence isn't unique to this school system.

It's gotten so bad, hiring drivers is a problem, he said.

“In fact, we've this year had students that had to wait at school because we had no substitute, and they had to wait at school, a bus took students home, came back and made another route simply because we can’t get people to drive buses ,” Nash said.

Students are also becoming more wary of riding the buses.

Since school started, Hickman County has had two major fighting incidents: Lane’s and another one that involved a stabbing.

School officials said they are hoping that overhauling the buses with new digital cameras will help identify trouble makers.