A school bus driver in Worcester, Mass. who says she was just following the rules, claims she was punched in the face by a parent and watched as several more angrily stormed her vehicle because they say she refused to let their children off the sweltering bus.
The crazy incident took place after she had picked up students from Quinsigamond Elementary School and sat at one bus stop with the windows reportedly rolled up on a hot day. Parents say their children could be heard screaming about the heat and calling for them -- which, as a parent, just pulls at your heartstring and most of us can imagine walking across hot coals to get our child out of an uncomfortable and frightening situation.
When the driver reportedly began moving the bus along -- for reasons that are unclear -- all hell broke loose. And the incident was caught on video.
One parent shouted, "Oh, my god, don't leave with my kid, while others attempted to block the bus from going forward. Some parents instructed their kids to open the emergency door, while someone reportedly broke the front door. A 16-year-old girl says she entered the bus to get her sister, but the driver tried to stop her and told her it would be kidnapping.
And that's when she said the driver pushed her -- so she punched her back.
The school district seems to be standing behind the driver in this case. They released a statement, in which they said, "The driver was attempting to ensure that kindergarten students were matched with the proper parent before releasing them from the school bus." They also say the driver was "instructed by the Durham supervisor to close the entrance door" and that parents broke in.
The girl who allegedly punched the driver will be summonsed for assault and battery, according to the district.
I can understand not trusting everyone with your children and taking every precaution to ensure their safety, but the parents have reportedly admitted the driver did the same thing the day before. Did anyone ask why? Were they told about the new policy and the fact that it might take longer for their children to disembark from the bus?
It's sad to think miscommunication could be responsible for such a horrific incident taking place in front of children. Not a great way to start off the school year, that's for sure.
What do you think about what the parents did? What would you have done?
Image via Kevin/Flickr