Spartanburg, SC (WHNS) — Deputies said when a 12-year-old boy became sick and asked the Spartanburg School District Five bus driver to stop, the driver left the boy on the side of the road.
Now the school district says the driver resigned in lieu of termination after she violated their policy of leaving a child at an unassigned bus stop – especially in a situation like Tuesday’s.
A spokesperson for the district said the driver did not follow policy when the boy asked to get off the bus early on Tuesday and was left in front of a driveway of an elderly woman’s home, according to a Spartanburg County sheriff’s office report.
Deputies were contacted by the boy’s parents after he called his mom on his cell phone saying he was going to be sick, and she told him to ask the driver to stop.
When he got off and began to vomit, the driver left him, deputies said. According to the report, the woman whose home he was left in front of called out from her porch wanting to know who was in her driveway and what was going on about the time the boy’s mom arrived to help him.
Deputies said they were continuing to investigate the incident.
The district released the following full statement in regards to the incident:
“District Five prides itself on having some of the most caring and dedicated bus drivers transporting our students every day.
“Unfortunately, while on a route Tuesday morning, one of those drivers made a very poor decision regarding a sick child on her bus. Per district policy, drivers are taught never to leave students at an unassigned bus stop, and certainly not to leave them unattended in this type of situation.
“Our bus drivers receive 35 hours of training when they first get behind the wheel. Per state guidelines, a minimum of 10 hours of training is required each year after that. District Five actually goes above and beyond that requirement, with close to 20 hours of training annually.
“The safety and well-being of our students is our top priority, and we sincerely regret this incident. The driver is no longer employed with District Five.”
