HAMPTON, Va. — A parent has won a lawsuit against Hampton City Schools after the district initially refused to allow her to view bus surveillance footage allegedly showing her nonverbal autistic child being left unattended on a school bus.
The petition, filed by Lamisha Richards on behalf of her 9-year-old son, Ronald Epps Jr., concerned an incident on October 2, 2025, when her child was left on Bus #70, Route 802. Richards had requested access to the video under the Virginia Freedom of Information Act and the federal Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA). The school division denied the request on October 23, citing exemptions for personally identifiable student information and personnel records.
Richards’ attorney argued the denial was improper, stating the video is both a public record under Virginia law and an education record under federal law, and that FERPA guarantees parental access to records directly related to a student…