2010 death of special-education student prompts lawsuit against Baltimore district

From The Baltimore Sun: The family of a 6-year-old special-needs student who died after jumping from a moving school bus has filed an $80 million lawsuit alleging negligence on the part of the Baltimore city school system and the contractor hired to transport him. The suit says the school system and the bus personnel of M.R. Hopkins Transportation Services failed to ensure the safety of Jeremy C. Jennings Jr., who had a history of impulsive behavior. The boy tried to jump out of a school bus one week before his fatal fall Dec. 8, 2010. The lawsuit also alleges that Jeremy's Individualized Education Plan, which required him to have a safety vest on the bus, was not being followed. The boy attended Villa Maria at St. Vincent's, a Catholic special-education school in Baltimore County.