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A Michigan school bus driver and bus aide have been fired after they allegedly kicked a group of elementary school students off their bus for eating chips.
Cortez said “several” students were ordered off the bus on Friday for eating and sharing a bag of chips, and that they obeyed and exited a few stops ahead of their own stop. He added that the older children in the group guided the younger children “to safety.”
The driver and aide did not report the incident, and both the school district and the transportation company learned of it the next day after parents notified the bus garage, according to Cortez.
Both staffers were immediately placed on leave, and an investigation was launched, Cortez said.
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“The investigation revealed the complaints of parents were valid. It confirmed how the actions of the driver and aide put students at risk,” Cortez wrote. “Their actions were deplorable and violated district policies, ethics and protocol.”
“I have reached out to all of the parents involved and have apologized to them. I also met with the students who were treated so poorly,” he wrote. “I apologized for the actions of these people, and told the older Big Reds students how proud I am of them for taking care of the younger ones. While I cannot undo what happened, I am sorry for the offensive actions of these two people, and I will make sure they are never allowed to transport our students again.”
Kellie P. Dean, the company’s president and CEO, said in a statement to PEOPLE that Dean launched its investigation on Thursday, and fired the driver and aide on Friday.
“Dean has reached out to each student’s guardians to apologize for the incident and inform them of the investigation findings,” he said. “The driver and monitor’s decision was in complete violation of company policy. The safety of our students is our first commitment. Dean has reinforced the training, policies, and protocols to our employees to ensure a similar incident does not happen in the future.”
source: people.com
