Unmarked School Bus Spotted Trying to Pick Up Students

A Michigan school bus with the district’s name covered by spray paint tries to pick up students at a stop, but a parent won’t let them board, and the driver speeds off. Two similar sightings are reported soon after.

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October 19, 2017

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YPSILANTI TOWNSHIP, Mich. — A suspicious school bus has been spotted in the area trying to pick up students on Thursday, police said.

At about 7:20 a.m., the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office received a call about a suspicious school bus in the area of Tyler Rd. and Buick Ave. in Ypsilanti Township. The district’s name had been covered with spray paint, according to a Nixle alert from the Sheriff’s Office. Peter Kudlak, the superintendent of Van Buren Public Schools, told MLive that a parent reported that the bus pulled up to a stop and claimed to be a driver for the district. Kudlak added that the parent did not let the students at the stop board the bus, and the driver sped off.

Pamela Johnson, the administrative assistant to Kudlak, sent a message about the incident through the live feed on the district's website this morning. The message stated that the bus had been seen stopping in the West Willow neighborhood trying to pick up students. The district warned against allowing students to approach any bus not clearly marked “Van Buren Public Schools.” The district also alerted parents with phone messages and let other school districts know about the incident, MLive reports.

Deputies are working to locate and confirm whether the bus is assigned to a particular district or school, or what the driver’s motives may have been, according to the Sheriff’s Office. Kudlak told MLive that the bus is not from his district; all the district’s buses are clearly marked and accounted for. He added that he wasn’t aware of any students not making it to school safely.

Police were also notified of a similar bus seen elsewhere in Ypsilanti Township, according to MLive. Additionally, Van Buren Township Director of Public Safety Greg Laurain told the news source that a few minutes after Van Buren Public Schools sent out alerts, police received a call about a bus at a mobile home community in Van Buren Township. All of the incidents are under investigation.

Anyone with information regarding this bus can contact the Washtenaw County Sheriff's Office through 911 or through Crime Stoppers at (800) SPEAKUP.