A former district school bus monitor faces up to 10 years in state prison following her January 13 conviction in connection with the 2023 strangling death in a bus of a special needs student.
Amanda Davila, 28, of New Brunswick was convicted of 2nd Degree Endangering the Welfare of a Child after a week-long trial in New Brunswick Superior Court.
Davila was employed as a monitor by the Montauk Bus Company in July 2023, and assigned to a bus serving students attending an extended school program at Claremont Elementary School.
According to trial testimony, Davila had oversight of 6-year-old Fajr Atiya Williams, a disabled student who was wheelchair-bound.
Williams’ sister was properly strapped into her wheelchair before boarding the bus, but testimony showed that Davila did not properly secure the girl’s wheelchair to the bus’ floor and did not use the shoulder and seat belts, according to a press release from the Somerset County Prosecutor’s Office.
According to the release, during the bus ride, William slid down in her chair and was strangled by the wheelchair harness. During this time, according to testimony, Davila was at the front of the bus wearing ear buds and using her cell phone to scroll Instagram, listen to music, and send and receive 34 text messages.
According to the release, Davila should have sat opposite Williams and should not have been on her cell phone. Davila received six years of safety training that emphasized a no ear bud or cell phone use policy, according to the release.
Additional testimony during the trial revealed that Davila was trained to frequently check on the students in her care, to sit across from wheelchair-bound students, and to always use a shoulder and lap belt with students, according to the release.
Davila’s sentencing is set for march 7.
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