Colorado substitute school bus driver fired after dropping off dozens of kids at wrong stop
A substitute school bus driver with the Douglas County School District has been fired, but parents in Castle Rock still want answers and accountability after their children had to go through a frightening experience. The driver dropped off dozens of kids at the wrong stop on Monday, and some of the children were left wondering how they were going to get home, which was miles away.
Route #253 is a route dozens of students regularly take. The district said there are 12 stops on the route, and on the third stop on Monday, the bus "stopped just short of the usual location, leading to some confusion." The district said the remaining 40 students got off at the intersection near Wolfensberger Road and Auburn Drive. Parents claim the bus driver told their children to get off the bus in the 30 degree weather.
Ashley Stark called it a devastating experience for her two girls, who are ages 7 and 10.
"The kids were petrified. The fear in their eyes," she said. "All the kids said that they felt like they were being kidnapped."
Tony Martin's 8-year-old daughter was also on the bus.
"That that night she was very hysterical. Didn't want to kind of be alone, because she said she felt like she was being kidnapped," Martin said.
Children told their parents the bus driver parked the bus at the school but did not leave on time.
"He was telling the children that he refuses to leave until everyone is silent," Stark said.
According to what their children told them, parents claim the driver then began driving erratically, was yelling at them and allegedly proceeded through all of the stops. The children were then dropped off at the busy intersection, which is a little more than 2 miles away from the school.
"My kids were left stranded and abandoned on the side of the road at dark, and a stranger brought my children home," Stark said.
Martin's daughter also rode home with a stranger. His daughter said she felt safe enough because her friend was in the back of that driver's car.
"I'm glad she wasn't kidnapped and she's home safe. I'm thankful for the parent and glad all the other kids got home safe," Martin said.
The Douglas County School District and Castle Rock Police Department are conducting investigations into the driver's actions. The police department is still collecting evidence and could not provide additional information about their findings so far.
Parents say some of the children are now scared to ride the bus.
"And rightfully so, because that was incredibly traumatizing," Stark said.
Brittany Smith's 2nd grader said she is hesitant to go back on the bus, even with the regular driver.
"She got home, she was crying hysterically. She said she was scared," Smith said.
Martin and Stark both say there's no excuse for what happened, and they want answers. That includes hopefully seeing the video footage on the school bus to get a better understanding of what happened.
"Sorry is never good enough, and that's just not going to be the case right now," he said.
"No matter what way you slice it, this is child endangerment," she said.
Moving forward, some parents are choosing to drive their children to school instead of allowing them to ride the bus.
In a letter to parents on Wednesday, Rich Cosgrove, the district's Chief Operations Officer, said the relief driver did not follow protocol and was supposed to notify the transportation department about what happened. He also stated the regular driver for the school bus will be returning soon.
The district also said they are unable to share the video footage from the school bus because of the ongoing and active investigation.
