Raccoon is chased off school bus, killed
A North Carolina driver takes a bus to a high school and realizes a raccoon is on board. A school resource officer chases the animal into a clearing, where it is shot and killed. The animal is being tested for rabies, and the bus is being kept at a shelter until a decision is made to put it back into service.
CHARLOTTE, N.C. — A school resource officer and a bus driver chased a raccoon off a school bus at a local high school on Monday.
The Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus driver picked up the bus and drove it to the school before realizing the raccoon was on board, WBTV reports. The driver pulled up to the school and motioned for the resource officer to assist her in removing the raccoon from the bus.
The officer chased the raccoon off the bus and into a clearing, where it was shot and killed. The body of the raccoon was sent to a state lab in Raleigh to be tested for rabies.
Police told district staff how to decontaminate the bus if the raccoon did, in fact, have rabies, according to WBTV. The bus is being kept at a bus shelter until a decision is made to put it back into service.
No students were on board the bus at the time of the incident.
More Safety

Geotab Launches Tool to Help Fleets Investigate Road Incidents
Geotab Investigations combines telematics data, video, documents, and other evidence to help fleets reconstruct incidents, resolve claims, and determine what happened.
Read More →
Doing More With Less: How Transportation Directors Can Prioritize Safety Amid Budget Uncertainty
With diesel prices soaring and nearly one-third of transportation directors expecting budget cuts, maintaining student safety has never been more challenging. Download this guide to learn how leading districts are prioritizing risk, funding critical safety technology, and building stronger budget cases with data.
Read More →
How To Build a More Secure School Bus Yard During and After Hours
As thefts and overnight security threats continue, school transportation leaders are combining stronger operational practices with AI-enabled surveillance to better protect buses, facilities, and staff.
Read More →
FMCSA Names New Chief Safety Officer: What School Bus Operators Should Know
Steve Dowling is set to lead the federal agency's efforts to advance commercial motor vehicle safety and reduce crashes, fatalities, and injuries on the nation's roadways.
Read More →
New Study Finds School Zone Speed Safety Cameras Cut Speeding Violations 97%
A Florida university's research demonstrates that Verra Mobility's automated enforcement changes driver behavior and significantly improves school zone safety.
Read More →
What Changed in DOT’s New National Roadway Safety Strategy?
The federal agency's new plan shifts its focus to safer people, roads and vehicles, with a new three-pronged approach instead of five. One outlined action even addresses a key industry concern around illegal school bus passing.
Read More →
Are Autonomous Vehicles Ready to Safely Navigate School Bus Stops?
NHTSA is accelerating autonomous vehicle deployment through new safety standards and commercial approvals. See why school transportation leaders are watching.
Read More →
NFL Star Lomas Brown Kicks Off New Illegal School Bus Passing PSA
Just in time for the back-to-school season, the former Detroit Lions offensive tackle took time to record a video encouraging motorists to slow down around school buses.
Read More →
How Two Texas Districts Built Award-Winning Safety Programs
Learn how Prosper ISD and Rockwall ISD earned National Safety Council honors through hands-on training, safety culture, and strategies that reduced transportation incidents.
Read More →
NHTSA Releases 10-Year Review of Fatal School Bus Crashes
The latest federal analysis reinforces the safety of school buses while identifying where school-age pedestrians and other motorists remain most at risk.
Read More →
