MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Durham bus driver has been placed on administrative leave after she was recorded yelling and swearing at children on the way home from school.
The bus driver is heard shouting, “take care of y’all *expletive* business so I can drop y’all at home.”
Students from Bolton High School told WREG a bus ride home, on March 10, took an unexpected turn.
According to students, a Durham School Services bus driver is seen on video yelling and swearing at a group of children.
“Do what you going to do and get y’all *expletive* back on the bus,” the driver shouted.
One mother said her son captured part of the incident on his cell phone.
WREG agreed to identify the parent by her first name, Kathy, to protect her child’s identity.
“Some girls were arguing, and the two girls had fought before,” Kathy explained.
Students said the driver pulled over near Rivercrest Elementary just before 3:00 p.m. and allegedly turned off the bus’ video camera.
“Just the fact that she would turn it off means she knew what she was doing was wrong,” Kathy said.
The driver is seen telling the children to either fight or be quiet and get back on the bus.
“Either we’re going to tumble and roll or we’re going to get back on this bus and go home,” the driver yelled.
“I was flabbergasted,” Tony Taylor said. “I think she instigated the situation instead of diffusing it.”
While some people, like Taylor, claimed what the driver is accused of doing is wrong, others offered the driver support.
WREG viewers weighed in on Facebook.
One person said in part, “I don’t blame her, she did the right thing.”
Another woman wrote, “Notice, none of them fought. Just saying.”
“If she got people supporting her, that’s sad,” Taylor said.
Kathy’s biggest gripe with this incident was the language the bus driver used.
“Just for her to talk to them like that I just feel they’re not safe,” Kathy explained.
The ticked off mother said the Shelby County School District needs to be held responsible, and the driver should be fired.
“If she was going to control the situation and she thought that they were really going to get violent, she should have called the police,” Kathy said.
