RIVERSIDE — Accusations about a local bus driver’s misbehavior caused an uproar on social media over the weekend.
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As reported on News Center 7 at 6:00, several Mad River Local Schools parents said their children’s bus ride home from school Friday went wrong.
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School district leaders said they discovered no signs of wrongdoing on the part of the driver, but parents see it much differently.
TJ Melke and two other parents told News Center 7 that while experienced, their children’s bus driver on Friday was a substitute.
Melke said his 9-year-old and 7-year-old daughters were on the bus, and one of them sent him a picture of her crying.
“She proceeded to tell me that our 7-year-old was actually shoved,” Melke said.
“My 7-year-old daughter came in the door hyperventilating, I literally could not understand a word she was saying,” Miranda Peaco said.
Tracy Bailey said her children said there was yelling, shoving, and pushing.
“They were screamed at as well, saying they need to get in their seats,” Bailey said.
Many parents went to the school’s transportation building Friday afternoon to get answers.
District leaders and parents said Riverside police were called. They reportedly asked the parents to leave and come back on Monday.
The district confirmed that they opened an investigation over the weekend, but it is now closed.
“Several administrators, including the Superintendent, looked thoroughly at the video from the bus’s cameras and did not see any inappropriate behavior by the bus driver,” a spokesperson from the district said.
The district released the following statement to News Center 7.
“Mad River Local Schools is aware of the concerns shared by some parents regarding an incident that allegedly occurred on one of our buses last week. We take all reports involving student safety seriously and are actively investigating the claims made. However, as this matter is currently under review, we are unable to comment on the specific allegations at this time.
Regarding the involvement of law enforcement, we can confirm that a group of individuals—who identified themselves as parents—arrived outside of a secured, gated area at the transportation department and refused to leave the school district property after repeated requests. The individuals were reportedly agitated and expressed intent to confront the bus driver. Due to their refusal to leave and in the interest of ensuring the safety of our staff, including bus drivers and transportation personnel, the Riverside Police Department—which is located adjacent to our facility—was contacted for assistance.
We remain committed to maintaining a safe and respectful environment for our students and staff and will take any necessary steps based on the findings of the ongoing investigation.”
— Mad River Local Schools spokesperson
Parents believe there’s an easy way to put this to rest.
“90% of the children on the bus do not get off crying if nothing happened, so show me that,” Mad River Local Schools parent Miranda Piecoh said.
“Honestly, I just want to see for myself what happened,” Melke said.
The district will not share video from the school bus with News Center 7 due to school board policy.
The policy states that they do not release video unless a report is being generated about student or employee actions, and that is not happening here.
Melke said he has a medical report that shows his daughter was injured and believes State Department of Education guidelines would allow him to see the video.
News Center 7 will continue to follow this story.
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