NORFOLK, Va. - Some parents are furious after they say a school bus driver refused to let their children off the bus at their stop.
In a video recorded by a Mom Tuesday afternoon, parents can be seen asking for the bus driver to open the door.
"Extreme anger, frustration, worry, fear," said Lydia White, the Mom who recorded the video when asked what emotions she was feeling during the ordeal.
The bus stop was the last stop of the day for bus 292 from Ocean View Elementary.
"He's not explaining anything and next thing you know kids start trying to jump out the window so parents have having to catch them," said White.
One Mom can be seen in the video banging on the door. White explained that Mom noticed her daughter in distress because she has a heart condition and looked like she was about to have an attack.
Parents said after about 15 minutes, the driver opened the door and the kids got off. Parents said the driver explained he was trying to assign seats, but parents said that should have been done at the school and not when the kids are about to return home.
"What the hell is happening? We've had issues with this bus driver in the past, multiple times, but to see him literally blocking the aisle and kids starting to scream. It was more than I was ready for that day," said White.
Norfolk Public Schools said:
The safety and security of our students is extremely important to Norfolk Public Schools. In an effort to ensure the safe transport of students a driver may determine that there is a need to assign seats in order to maintain order on the bus. The driver has been reassigned from this route as of this morning. The supervisor in speaking with the driver addressed the need to consider an appropriate time and place to create a seating chart.
When News 3 was at the bus stop Wednesday afternoon, a new bus driver said she will be the new permanent driver for the rest of the school year.
