School Bus Fleet
MenuMENU
SearchSEARCH

District defends driver for keeping kids on bus

Salt Lake City Schools and one of its bus drivers face scrutiny from some parents after the driver pulls over on a route because kids are unruly and refuses to let them out. District officials review the bus video and say the driver did everything right, and that the situation escalated because of a parent who showed up with a bat, demanded that his student be let off and threatened the life of the driver.

September 24, 2014
2 min to read


SALT LAKE CITY — Salt Lake City Schools and one of its bus drivers are facing scrutiny from some parents after the driver pulled over on a route last week because kids were misbehaving and refused to let them out, ABC 4 Utah reports.  

Parents told the news outlet their kids called them frantically trying to get off the bus. Salt Lake City Schools spokesperson Jason Olsen told ABC 4 Utah the driver pulled over for safety reasons because the students were “very unruly,” yelling profanity at the driver, and at one point he had to stop the bus because a student was standing up. Police were called and school leaders arrived. While the students and driver were waiting for the police, a parent of one of the students came to take his daughter, but the driver wouldn’t let him, according to the news outlet.

District officials reviewed the bus video and said the driver did everything right, ABC 4 Utah reports. Olsen told the news outlet the footage also revealed that the situation escalated because of a parent who showed up with a bat and demanded that his student be let off and threatened the life of the driver, so the driver didn’t release any students until other school leaders arrived.

Olsen told the news outlet the timeline is under investigation, the district is sorry this happened, and the driver was doing his best to follow his training and to ensure student safety. The driver is being supervised this week and the district planned to have a training session to discuss the incident.

To read the full story, click here.

More Management

School Bus Fleet graphic featuring Bill Pepping of CharterUP in a suit and tie, alongside the headline “Five Questions with Bill Pepping” and the CharterUP and School Bus Fleet logos.
Management•by Elora Haynes•October 30, 2026

5 Questions: How CharterUP Brought a Marketplace to Student Transportation

What does it take to bring a transportation marketplace into K-12? Hear firsthand what CharterUP has learned about the unique needs of schools and bus operators.

Read More →
School Bus Fleet graphic featuring the EverDriven logo and a laptop displaying the TripCentral trip tracking dashboard, with the headline “EverDriven Opens TripCentral Management Hub.”
Management•by Elora Haynes•October 29, 2026

EverDriven Expands TripCentral Transportation Management Platform to All Partner Districts

The platform provides school districts with real-time trip tracking, student transportation scheduling tools, and pickup and drop-off management capabilities.

Read More →
School Bus Fleet's 2026 School District Transportation Survey graphic features a smiling school bus driver leaning out of a yellow bus beside its extended stop arm, with the survey title and publication logo.
Management•Cover Story•by Amanda Huggett•October 28, 2026

6 School Transportation Trends to Watch: 2026 District Survey Results

School bus buying is up, fuel choices are shifting, and driver shortages persist. This and more in the latest K-12 public school survey, plus the largest fleets in the U.S.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
Yellow Fairfax County Public Schools buses line up outside an elementary school, with the lead bus displaying its extended stop arm and flashing red lights.
Management•by Amanda Huggett•October 28, 2026

The 100 Largest School Bus Fleets in America: 2026 Rankings

Which public K-12 school districts are the largest in the nation in terms of bus fleet size? Here are the new standings of the top 100 district fleets.

Read More →
Blue graphic featuring the headline “EverDriven’s New Diesel Savings Calculator” and the School Bus Fleet logo over a background of diesel fuel pricing signs, with a calculator icon.
Management•by News/Media Release•October 22, 2026

EverDriven Launches Route Consolidation Calculator to Estimate Diesel Savings

As diesel prices hit record highs, the largest alternative transportation provider says a 10% route consolidation could save a 120-route district more than $78,000 a year in fuel alone.

Read More →
Black graphic with the headline “Zum, Generate Capital Expand Partnership,” the colorful Zum logo, and gold coin illustrations representing financing.
Management•by News/Media Release•October 15, 2026

Zum Secures Continued Financing Support for School Bus Expansion

Generate Private Credit has financed approximately $75 million in school bus deployments across three states, supporting more than 500 buses as Zum expands across the county.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
School Bus Fleet’s The Route video thumbnail featuring host Amanda Huggett and guest Sam Freshner, with the headline “Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus.” Sponsored by IC Bus.
Sponsored•by Amanda Huggett•October 15, 2026

Beyond Discipline: A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the Bus

After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements. Here’s how it worked. The Route is brought to you by IC Bus.

Read More →
School Bus Fleet’s The Route podcast thumbnail featuring host Amanda Huggett and guest Sam Freshner, with the headline “A Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus” over a yellow school bus background.
Management•October 14, 2026

A Dean of Transportation's Different Approach to Student Behavior on the School Bus

After implementing a dean of students program in Oregon, North Clackamas is seeing positive improvements on the bus. Here’s how it worked.

Read More →
Collage of NAPT ACTS 2026 highlights, including a speaker at the podium, a ribbon-cutting ceremony, attendees networking, and exhibitors demonstrating technology on the trade show floor.
Management•by Amanda Huggett•October 12, 2026

Inside NAPT ACTS 2026: Highlights from Louisville

From federal updates and student behavior strategies to new school bus technology and industry awards, see highlights from NAPT ACTS 2026 in Louisville.

Read More →
Ad Loading...
School Bus Fleet video thumbnail featuring 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Annette Brown smiling beside a yellow school bus, with the headline “Why School Bus Drivers Are Underrated Heroes” and the School Bus Driver Hero Award logo.
Management•by Staff•October 9, 2026

Meet the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Winner: Annette Brown

We caught up with Wa-Nee Community Schools' Annette Brown on site at SBFX, where she was named the 2026 School Bus Driver Hero Award winner. Hear about her reaction, what she loves most about being a school bus driver, and more!

Read More →