A Howard County bus attendant, contracted to assist students who attend the Linwood Center, was arrested and charged with two counts of assault and one count of a fourth-degree sex offense this week.

In a joint letter to the broader school community Friday afternoon, Superintendent Bill Barnes and Board of Education Chair Jolene Mosley said: “We have no tolerance for any adult who harms a child in our school communities or contracted vehicles.”

The Linwood Center, located in Ellicott City, is one of the school system’s non-public school placements that serves students with autism. Some of the students are nonverbal.

“This is deeply disturbing news, and we echo our community’s feelings of disgust and disappointment that a trusted adult would harm any child in this way, particularly a child with a disability,” Mosley and Barnes wrote in their letter.

The school system is working closely with the Linwood Center, county police and the bus contractor, the letter states. School system special education staff are providing support to the affected students and families.

The investigation is ongoing.

According to Friday’s letter, the bus driver reported an alleged assault between the bus attendant and students to the bus contractor. Video recordings from the bus were “quickly reviewed” and reported to Child Protective Services. The bus aide was removed from the school bus.

The nature of the allegations makes the situation “especially troubling,” Mosley and Barnes wrote.

The aide, pending Child Protective Services and police investigations, is “disqualified,” as a school system bus attendant, the letter says.

School officials did not identify the bus aide.

All Howard County contracted bus drivers and attendants are fingerprinted, have extensive background checks and attend trainings on child sexual abuse and assault, and proper use of safety equipment on specialized buses.

The bus aides are considered “mandated reporters,” and are therefore legally required to report any known or suspected cases of child abuse or neglect.

The Linwood Center has transportation staff participate in specific trainings on autism, incident reporting protocols and behavior intervention plans.

“As parents, our hearts go out to the children who ride that particular bus, and their families who are undoubtedly experiencing immense pain and anger,” Mosley and Barnes wrote.

This article may be updated.