Parents say bus driver threatened children, refused to drop them off

ROELAND PARK, Kan. (KCTV) - A group of parents is calling for accountability in the Shawnee Mission School District.

They say their children, while being threatened by the bus driver, weren’t released to their appropriate bus stops on Tuesday afternoon.

The bus departed from Roeland Park Elementary, taking students to Boulevard Apartments.

Sebastian Fortunato had a daughter on the bus. He tried flagging down the driver, asking why several stops were being skipped.

“He said they weren’t behaving and they weren’t going to let them off until they started behaving,” Fortunato said.

“He was making comments such as, ‘I’ve been in the military for 20 years you don’t want to mess with me.’ To elementary school kids, at that,” parent Alexis McKinley said.

The parents started jumping into action.

“A couple parents ran after him. Our neighbor boxed him in at the end of the complex because he was going well over the speed limit, passing stops with no explanation. When he stopped, my wife called the police,” Fortunato said.

As parents were able to safely take their kids home, they immediately started calling the school district and demanding to see video of how everything unfolded on the bus.

“At this point, with their refusals, I feel as if there’s something that’s being hidden,” McKinley said. “I’m confused as to why none of us parents are being given any answers or why there isn’t further action taken against this bus driver.”

“We would like some accountability for the driver,” said Fortunato. “This is somebody who we trust with our daughter’s life with every day, to and from school.”

Beacon Mobility, the parent company for DC Bus Lines, stated: “Student safety is always DS Bus Lines’ #1 priority, and we take any reports of inappropriate driver behavior extremely seriously.”

Dr. Christy Ziegler, the chief of Student Services, Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion for the school district, released the following statement to parents and guardians:

On yesterday’s PM route, a substitute bus driver was attempting to follow the routing sheet and drop students in the sequence that was communicated via DS Bus Lines. This created some confusion for students and parents due to previous drivers who may have dropped students out of the stop sequence expected by the bus company. At the point that students believed that a stop was missed, behaviors escalated to the point where the bus driver had no option other than to stop and address the students in an attempt to calm the behavior and direct students to remain seated. The driver calmly explained to students that he was following the routing on the sheet from the bus company and reassured all students that they would be let off at their stops.
We appreciate the parents who contacted DS Bus Lines to share their concerns. We have viewed video from the route and found the driver acted to the best of their ability in addressing the safety concerns created from inappropriate student behaviors. The driver elevated their voice at a point that was warranted to direct students and maintain safety on the bus.
Student safety is our top concern, which includes providing an environment for our bus drivers to maintain safe rides. We need your cooperation in reinforcing appropriate, respectful behaviors while at school, with the same expectations extended to the bus. DS Bus Lines will be updating the stop sequence to prevent this situation from happening again. The bus will follow the routing communicated by the bus company and students will be dropped off at their stop as the route is followed. The bus driver is the responsible adult on the bus and will adjust as needed to maintain safe delivery of your students. Additionally, we will be working to place an additional adult monitor on the bus for support. Please talk with your children in letting them know that we need them to remain respectful to their peers and the driver in traveling safely to and from school. Appropriate noise levels are expected as is the requirement to remain seated for the duration of the ride for the bus to be safe for all students.
Thank you for your support.
Dr. Christy Ziegler

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