'This doesn't need to happen to anyone else': Family mourns child who died on school bus
Six-year-old Fajr Atiya Williams had a beautiful smile, loving nature and big, bright brown eyes. She was nonverbal but could express herself with that smile, her laugh and those eyes.
Fajr means “dawn" in Arabic. She was the middle sister of three girls, the daughter of Najmah Nash and Wali Williams.
Fajr had Emanuel syndrome, a chromosomal disorder characterized by learning challenges and stunted growth and development. Considered rare, Emanuel syndrome can impact individuals with additional health conditions such as epilepsy like Fajr experienced, her mother said.
Fajr's life tragically was cut short last week when she was strangled by her wheelchair’s harness on the way to an extended year program at Claremont Elementary in the Franklin school district.
The latest: Court documents detail final minutes of Fajr Williams’ life as she died on school bus
Amanda Davila, a 27-year-old New Brunswick woman who works as a school bus aide for Montauk Transit Service, was charged Thursday with second-degree manslaughter and second-degree endangering the welfare of a child in Fajr's death. She is expected to appear in court Tuesday.
Somerset County Prosecutor John McDonald said Fajr, who was secured in her wheelchair at the back of the bus by Davila, slumped in her seat during the bumpy ride, causing the four-point harness which secured her to the chair to become tight around her neck and blocked her airway. Meanwhile, Davila was seated toward the front of the bus, using a cellphone with ear buds in both ears during the ride, the prosecutor said.
According to her mother, in a post on social media, Fajr was put on the bus at 8:23 a.m. Monday "alive, healthy and well" headed to school, a 15-minute ride from their township home. By 9:10 a.m., Nash said she had received a phone call from Franklin schools saying Fajr was "unresponsive and CPR was being performed" as they waited for emergency services to arrive at the school.
Fajr was taken to Robert Wood Johnson Specialized Hospital in New Brunswick, but had no brain activity, her mother said. Fajr died at the hospital.
"Something went very wrong today with transportation and someone needs to be held responsible," Nash said Monday.
Faji's father, Wali Williams, told NBC New York his daughter's brain was deprived of oxygen for 40 minutes.
In her post, Nash asked for prayers and "#JusticeforFajr." The family is "barely holding on," she said.
Nash told News 12 New Jersey there is video of the incident on the bus, but she had not viewed it.
"This doesn't need to happen to anyone else. We need to love on our kids and make sure they are being taken care of when we put them in the hands of the hands of any board of education," she said.
In a letter Thursday to the school community announcing Fajr’s death, Franklin Superintendent of Schools John Ravally said, "our thoughts and prayers continue to be with this student's family and friends" and added the matter is part of an ongoing investigation.
And in a statement Friday to CBS New York, the bus company said all employees know the safety of the children transported is the top priority. The bus company added it is "fully engaged" in the law enforcement investigation and supports “any punishment that the justice system determines appropriate for the bus monitor who has been arrested."
Nash launched GoFundMe page Friday to help raise $10,000 for her daughter's funeral and medical expenses. It features a photo of Fajr sitting on a carpeted stairway in a red and black outfit with a red bow in her hair. More than $8,800 had been raised by Sunday evening.
"I lost my 6 year old sweet daughter Fajr due to negligence abruptly. I am asking anyone that is able to donate whatever they can to help our family with funeral (janaza) arrangements as well [as] any outstanding medical expenses that have accrued for my Fajr," Nash wrote on the page. "My family and I are truly devastated by this and would appreciate anyone that can help."
The Somerset County Prosecutor's Office said the investigation remains active as authorities await the findings from the New Jersey Northern Regional Medical Examiner’s Office.
email: cmakin@gannettnj.com
Cheryl Makin is an award-winning features and education reporter for MyCentralJersey.com, part of the USA Today Network. Contact: Cmakin@gannettnj.com or @CherylMakin. To get unlimited access, please subscribe or activate your digital account today.
This article originally appeared on MyCentralJersey.com: NJ family mourns child who died on school bus
