Warren County Public Schools is investigating an incident Friday involving a school bus where students were kept on the bus by the driver while it was parked along Pascoe Boulevard.
“The situation occurred during the afternoon route in which a substitute driver stopped the bus to address student behaviors,” the district said in a statement released Monday afternoon.
“Before resuming her route and while stopped, individuals in the neighborhood approached the bus. Following the district transportation protocol, the driver requested that the students remain seated on the bus until school personnel and/or law enforcement could arrive,” the statement said in part.
John West, a parent who said he was at the scene Friday, said he saw the bus driver driving recklessly and screaming at students out of frustration after missing students’ stops.
Morgan Watson, the district’s spokeswoman, declined to name the bus driver in an interview Monday. She said she believed the driver was still employed with the district. The students involved were from Alvaton Elementary School.
“I don’t believe she’s been suspended,” Watson said of the driver.
The incident was recorded in a Facebook video that attracted more than 100,000 views by Monday afternoon.
In the video, students can be seen yelling from parked bus No. 2744 on Pascoe Boulevard while parents are gathered outside.
At one point in the video a woman can be seen trying to pry open the bus doors, and at another point the rear emergency door of the bus has been opened and a man can be seen pulling small children down from the bus.
“Unfortunately, the majority of students exited the bus at the urging of at least one individual in the neighborhood prior to the arrival of school officials and law enforcement,” the statement said.
“School leaders, along with BGPD, spent Friday evening verifying all students made it home safely. We are cooperating with local law enforcement from both the Bowling Green Police Department and the Warren County Sheriff’s Office as we continue to gather additional details. We will review the actions of all parties involved and will take the steps necessary to ensure a similar incident does not occur again in the future.”