PALM BEACH COUNTY, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2026 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — A Palm Beach County family has filed a lawsuit against Rosarian Academy and a private bus company, alleging that a first-grade student was repeatedly sexually victimized by a fellow classmate during school bus rides throughout the 2024-2025 school year — and that school officials did nothing to stop it even after being notified. The complaint, obtained by BocaNewsNow.com, names Rosarian Academy, Inc. and Alpha Transportation Services, Inc. as defendants. The minor plaintiff, identified only by a pseudonym due to his age, was born in 2018 and attended Rosarian Academy from kindergarten through first grade.
According to the lawsuit, the alleged abuse occurred repeatedly over a period of weeks or months on school buses owned and operated by Alpha Transportation and contracted by Rosarian Academy. The complaint alleges that no adult supervisor, driver, or aide detected the misconduct, citing a complete absence of adequate supervision. The filing accuses Alpha Transportation of failing to provide a bus aide on a bus carrying approximately 25 children, allowing its driver to use a personal cellphone while operating the vehicle, and neglecting to monitor available onboard surveillance camera footage. The suit alleges that the bus footage, which was later produced, shows a chaotic environment with children standing on a moving bus and no child wearing a seatbelt.
The complaint further alleges that after the family reported the abuse to the Palm Beach County Sheriff’s Office, the Department of Children and Families, and Rosarian Academy, the school failed to act. On the evening of Dec. 2, 2025, the family sent a written request to the school demanding the two students be kept separated during the ongoing police investigation. The following morning, according to the lawsuit, Rosarian Academy allowed the alleged perpetrator to enter the victim’s classroom unsupervised and directly confront him — an act the complaint characterizes as witness intimidation. The family was forced to permanently withdraw the child from Rosarian Academy on Dec. 3, 2025, and has since transitioned to homeschooling. The child continues to receive trauma therapy and counseling.
The lawsuit spans seven counts, including negligent supervision, negligent hiring and retention, breach of fiduciary duty, and negligent infliction of emotional distress against both defendants. Plaintiffs are seeking compensatory damages in excess of $50,000. The filing also references a prior incident at the school: former Rosarian Academy teacher Stephen Budd was convicted of capital sexual battery charges for molesting two fourth-grade students during the 2006-2007 school year, which the plaintiffs argue put the school on prior notice of the dangers of inadequate supervision. Rosarian Academy, a private Catholic school in West Palm Beach serving pre-kindergarten through eighth grade, has not publicly commented on the litigation. The plaintiffs are represented by Brett M. Steinberg of Steinberg Law, P.A., based in Delray Beach.
