A Colorado school bus driver was dismissed after he allegedly abandoned 40 elementary school students at the wrong bus stop in cold weather, reported NBC News.
According to the news report, the bus driver, identified as Irving Johnson, allegedly left the young students from Clear Sky Elementary School in Castle Rock about 30 miles south of Denver, in tears and seeking aid from strangers.
The Douglas County School District said via the article that Johnson was a substitute driver who failed to follow proper protocols.
Johnson reportedly skipped students’ drop-off stops while on the road and ultimately drove near the corner of East Wolfensberger Road and Auburn Drive, about two miles from the school. There, he allegedly told the kids to get off the bus into the cold around 5 p.m.
The school district reportedly sent an apology email on Wednesday to the families of the students on the bus and confirmed the driver was no longer employed by the district.
The driver shared an apology via the article and stated that he was unfamiliar with the route and his tablet had stopped working so he asked the kids for directions. When asked if he felt like he did his job of keeping the kids safe, Johnson said “No, I don’t.”
The district stated that parents have requested to see video footage from the bus during the incident; however, the footage will not be released as an active investigation with the Castle Rock Police Department is ongoing.
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