AUBURN- An Auburn school bus driver is back at work after officials looked into an allegation that he refused to allow a Somali middle school student on the bus.

Citing confidential personnel issues, school administrators refused to comment on the results of the investigation. Business Manager Jude Cyr said only that the driver has not been fired and “appropriate action has been taken.”

Abdiaziz Ali, father of the 13-year-old boy, has said the driver would not allow his son to go home on the school bus one day last month because the boy is Somali.

Neil Shankman, attorney for the Ali family, said “The school system acknowledges it screwed up, an employee acted improperly.”

Shankman said he is still looking into the incident himself and gathering information from the school system, including a videotape from a surveillance camera mounted on the bus.

Shankman did not know what, if any, action the school system took against the driver following its investigation.

But, he said, “If the consequences of blanket discrimination are nothing more than a warning and a slap on the wrist, I don’t think there’s a deterrent.”

Since the incident, Ali has received multiple reports from other area Somali families who say their children have also faced discrimination in the school system. Shankman said he is looking into the allegations.

If they are verified, Shankman may file a complaint with the Maine Human Rights Commission.

If they cannot be verified, he said he is unsure whether he would file a complaint on behalf of the Ali family alone. He wants to ensure that the rights of area Somalis are being met, he said, but the family doesn’t want to unnecessarily harm the school system.

“It’s a balancing act,” said Shankman.

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