A young boy, fearing for his life, pleaded with a school bus driver for help. Believing he would be harmed if he stepped off, he begged to stay on the bus, where he’d be safe. The heartless driver kicked him off instead, and a video of what was waiting for the child has left parents outraged.
When parents send their kids to school on the bus each morning, they are entrusting their children’s lives to someone who is likely a complete stranger. While this notion seems strange in theory, bus drivers typically place the interests and wellbeing of their precious cargo above all else. However, there are occasionally transportation professionals who are merely there to collect a paycheck.
Although bullying has been a pitfall of the school system since the formation of public education, no parent ever expects that this will be cultivated by the adults whom they charge with protecting their children. Sadly, this was exactly the case when one boy came face-to-face with his tormentor.
A video recorded by another student captures a young boy’s heartbreaking plea with an Oklahoma bus driver to spare him from being beaten by his bully, according to KOTV. In the footage, the child can be heard crying and insisting that he won’t get off the bus while the Locust Grove employee yells at him to “get outta here!”
“You’re gonna kill and try to punch me,” he pleaded. “Hey, get outta here. Go!” the voice said.
The crying boy is then forced by the shouting driver to step off the bus so that an older student waiting at the doors can attack him. The bully is then seen knocking the child down with multiple punches.
The child begs the driver to let him off at his house rather than the corner stop only to be told to get off the bus. Another student on the bus can be heard encouraging the victim to “run” in an effort to escape the bully. The audio is undeniably heartbreaking, showcasing the callousness of the bus driver even as the child is ruthlessly beaten just feet away.
“The video is alarming itself,” Major Rod Howell said. “And obviously it’s enough to start an investigation.”
The incident has prompted an investigation by the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office, which has reviewed the footage. Disturbingly, the police didn’t even know about the encounter until a week later. As such, Howell says that police are working with Locust Grove Public Schools to get the black box off of the bus in order to complete the investigation.
“We don’t wanna knee-jerk and no rush to judgment here whatsoever,” Howell said. “We just wanna get all the facts as they come in and be objective about this.”
Locust Grove Public Schools refused to comment on the bus driver’s employment status.
The school district released a statement concerning the incident after reviewing the footage, KFSM reports. However, the district’s vague and emotionless explanation has only caused further outrage and accusations of the school’s incompetence:
Locust Grove Public Schools had an incident take place January 17th on one of our school buses involving two students. The incident was turned over to law enforcement and the Mayes County Sheriff’s Office is conducting a complete investigation. The students’ and bus driver’s actions have been addressed internally.
The district has refused to say if the bus driver is still employed. Additionally, there has been no report on whether the bully has been punished, leading many to believe that the school has no intention of resolving the issue.
This incident will likely have long-lasting effects on the child. Not only was he physically brutalized by another student, but he was also betrayed by an adult he should’ve been able to trust.
Many individuals have taken to the school district’s Facebook page to demand that the bully and driver be punished for their involvement. Disturbingly, others enrolled at the school claim that this sort of incompetence and apathy has plagued the district for some time. Whatever the case, it’s unlikely that there will be any productive effort unless the public continues to hold the school district responsible for their inaction.
