KANSAS CITY, Mo. — A bus driver in the Hickman Mills School District says parents are starting to get more involved in fights that begin as confrontations between students.
“My concern is basically about the parents jumping on the busses,” an anonymous bus driver in the district told FOX4.
In October, that 29-year veteran filed a police report after a parent threated her. She didn’t want to show her face in her interview with FOX4 Friday. She feared she’d risk discipline at work.
“I told her that she will go to jail, and she goes, ‘I bet I don’t. I don’t care,'” the woman said back to the parent who threatened her.
The fights aren’t just happening on that driver’s bus.
On Thursday afternoon, the Kansas City Police Department responded to Ruskin Way and Palmer Avenue. A juvenile told officers he was assaulted by several adults on a school bus.
The assault’s under investigation, according to KCPD spokesman Sgt. Jake Becchina. The school district has not responded to requests for comment.
First Student bought the Cass County-based Apple Bus company a year ago.
“At First Student, the safety of our employees and the students we transport is a responsibility we take very seriously. First Student is aware of the incident that took place on the bus and is deeply disturbed,” First Student spokesperson Brenna Rudisill said in a statement emailed to FOX4.
“We are working collaboratively with law enforcement and the District as well as conducting our own internal review of the incident. Given this is an active investigation, we are unable to comment further.”
Hickman Mills parent Kayla Contreras said the fights end up on social media apps like Snapchat. Her daughter normally rides the bus that Thursday’s incident happened on.
“But just because she wasn’t on the bus yesterday doesn’t mean anything,” Contreras said in an interview with FOX4 Friday. “There’s a fight on the bus every day.”
“She’s traumatized,” Contreras said when asked if her daughter’s scared. “It is scary. She doesn’t even want to ride the bus. She wants me to take her and her pick her up.”
The bus driver who talked to FOX4 said she’s saddened by the recent fighting.
“A lot of parents who do care cannot afford to live in the better districts such as Blue Springs, Lee’s Summit, Overland Park, so they’re kind of stuck in this district,” the bus driver continued.
“It’s not fair for the ones who do care to have to endure this type of thing because, you know, when you got kids who are scared to go to school, kids that are faking sicknesses to not go to school because they’re scared, then it’s a problem.”
Becchina said no one has been arrested in Thursday’s incident.
