INDEPENDENCE, Mo. — A disturbing video obtained by FOX4 shows a 12-year-old boy with autism being repeatedly punched, hit, and grabbed by other students on a Fort Osage school bus, an attack his family says never should have happened.
The video, which we have chosen to partially obscure due to the ages of those involved, captures a chaotic and deeply troubling scene: multiple students physically assaulting the boy while others can be heard laughing in the background.
The victim, 12-year-old Matthew Jordan Jr., says the moment has stayed with him.
“I felt sad, raged up—and angry,” Matthew said. When asked if he ever thought something like this could happen to him, his answer was immediate: “Yes… because I have autism.”
That statement hit his dad, Matthew Jordan Sr., hard.
“It hurts—to the core, it hurts,” he said.
According to the family, this was not an isolated incident. Matthew says the confrontation began when another student repeatedly touched his hair while he was sitting quietly.
What followed, his parents say, is part of a larger pattern of bullying, an issue they’ve raised with school officials before.
“My main concern was his safety – him leaving the home outside of my hands things of that sort I can only imagine how many times he cried for us,” said his mom Tiara Jenkins.
The family says their concerns about ongoing bullying have been brought to the district previously but were brushed off.
In a statement to FOX4, the Fort Osage School District said:
We were deeply troubled by the video of this incident, and our thoughts are with the student and family impacted. We are taking this situation seriously, and we understand the concern this causes for our entire school community.
Our team has been investigating this situation and appropriate disciplinary actions are being taken in accordance with Board of Education policies.
Student safety is at the center of everything we do. Our goal is to ensure all students are transported safely to and from school, and we will continue to review our procedures and expectations to maintain a safe, respectful environment on the bus and at school.
We have been and will continue to partner with the family to ensure their child has a positive educational experience.
But for Matthew’s father, words aren’t enough.
“Do better. Do better because at the end of the day it’s easy to make a long statement and make it sound good but I’m all about action,” Jordan Sr. said.
Despite the trauma, Matthew returned to school the very next day even while recovering from injuries.
His courage, his parents say, is exactly why they’re speaking out not just for their son, but for others like him.
“I’m just super proud of Matthew. He’s my light. I can’t go a minute without thinking about what they’re doing,” Jenkins said.
Matthew’s message is simple and powerful.
“Stop bullying, I wanted them to stop bullying we would be just fine,” he said.
The family says transferring schools is not an option. To them, leaving would mean letting the bullies win. Instead, they’re demanding accountability and change.
