School District Sued Over Boy’s Walk In The Cold

BEMIDJI (AP) - A lawsuit against Bemidji Area Schools alleges a bus driver made a 6-year-old boy walk blocks to his house in freezing temperatures because he was misbehaving.

A court summary of the case says the boy was crying and fearful that he would never see his family again after walking 5 to 10 minutes to his home in Wilton in February of 2013 when it was 10 degrees above zero.

The boy's mother filed a complaint with the Minnesota Department of Education, which determined the bus driver neglected the boy, but that the child did not suffer any physical harm.

The boy was diagnosed with a behavior disorder and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and was among several students misbehaving on the bus that day. The Bemidji superintendent did not immediately return a call for comment.