District Stands by School Bus Driver Who Wouldn’t Let Students Exit Bus

A Florida bus driver who refused to let students deboard until medical help arrived for an injured student despite parents’ demands was following policy, district officials say.

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January 12, 2018

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ORLANDO, Fla. — A school district here is standing by the actions of a bus driver who refused to let students exit the bus on Wednesday until medical help arrived to assist an injured student.

Video that parents shared with News 6 and FOX 35 shows parents yelling at the driver to let their children off the bus, with some forcing the door open, and pulling children out of the bus through the windows. A woman who recorded video and shared it with FOX 35 told the news source that the chaos started when parents didn’t get answers from the bus driver and kids began screaming.

Lorena Hitchcock, a spokeswoman for Orange County Public Schools, told News 6 that students were horsing around on the bus and one suffered an injury to the face that caused bleeding. In cases like this, district policy requires the driver to call an ambulance and to wait for it to arrive, Hitchcock added. She also said that if a bus stops at an unauthorized location, the driver cannot let students exit the bus and parents are not allowed to board the bus. The district told FOX 35 that the incident is under investigation.

Watch video obtained by FOX 35 and its story on the incident below.

Topics:driver handbook/policies Florida parent disputes Management Safety

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