Screaming kids rush out school bus windows after parent slaps driver, GA video shows
A Georgia school bus driver has been suspended after a video showing her driving off with kids on board after an altercation with a parent went viral on TikTok, district officials /told news outlets.
One video shows a parent climbing up the steps of a Paulding County School District bus as the driver stands up and screams at her. The parent then slaps the driver, who sits back down, closes the door and drives away. Students scream out the windows as the bus drives off.
Another video shows the bus stopped at a red light as kids crawl out windows into their parents arms and leave through the emergency exit at the back of the bus.
The incident happened on Jan. 18 at school bus stop in Dallas according to a statement the Paulding County School District provided to McClatchy News.
District officials told WAGA that the bus driver was a substitute filling in for a regular driver. The driver was “trying to manage the release of younger students” when a backup occurred, causing the situation to escalate among parents waiting for their kids at the bus stop, the outlet reported.
Officers with the Dallas Police Department responded to the scene, according to Atlanta News First.
“After law enforcement arrived and students for that stop had deboarded the bus, a supervisor assisted in the transportation of the remaining students,” the school district said in a statement to the outlet. “Thankfully, all students eventually arrived home safely.”
The Dallas Police Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment from McClatchy News.
The school district and police department are investigating the incident, according to the district.
“As this is an ongoing investigation, this is the only comment we can provide at this time,” a district spokesperson said in the statement.
Dallas is about 30 miles northwest of Atlanta.
This story was originally published January 20, 2023 at 12:08 PM with the headline "Screaming kids rush out school bus windows after parent slaps driver, GA video shows."