The mother of a first-grade student at Lydia Hawk Elementary School has complained to North Thurston Public Schools that her son’s school bus driver slapped the boy on his way home on Monday, October 2.
Ashley Wilson told The JOLT alleges that the same bus driver had previously threatened her now six-year-old son and that the scene was caught on the bus camera.
“The bus driver is on camera getting out of his seat, walking straight to my six-year old son while his back was turned, and slapped him on the butt,” Wilson said. Wilson’s son returned home in tears, she said.
The boy was standing up on the seat. But he didn't even look back. The bus driver didn't call his name. I mean, there was no audio [from] the video. But I know that if that bus driver would have been trying to talk to [son] or calling [son’s] name, he would have at least looked back,” said Wilson.
Wilson said she visited the transportation department on Tuesday to view the footage and confirm what her son told her.
“It was quite disturbing. No warning for my son at all. [The] bus driver just got up and went and smacked my son while his back was turned,” Wilson said.
On Friday, May 5, 2023, Wilson said, “My daughter and my son got off the bus, and my daughter told me the bus driver had threatened to hit [her brother],” said Wilson. “He said, ‘How would you like me to hit you like that?’”
This threat was allegedly triggered because of kids playfully hitting each other, Wilson said her daughter told her that day.
Wilson promptly reported Monday's incident to both the police and the North Thurston School District’s Transportation Department and shared she was told that they would review the footage.
“This could have all been avoided if the transportation department and the school superintendent would have done something [last May] when the bus driver had threatened to hit my son,” Wilson said.
Regarding the incident on October 2, the district told The JOLT that it “has taken appropriate administrative action while we investigate the issue.”
Wilson said she did not get any feedback after complaining about the alleged threat last May and that, as far as she knows, the district took no action then.
“Even the bus driver admitted it, last May, according to the transportation staff," Wilson said. "When I asked them to pull the cameras, they got back to me. They said the cameras were not working because it happened before the bus took off from the school.” said Wilson.
“But on Tuesday, they told me the cameras now stay on for two hours because they are plugged into the battery, not the ignition as before.
The district website asks this question and offers this answer: "The driver, The Student Transportation Support Specialist and cooperation of the parent and school."
In its handbook, NTPS states, "getting to school safely and on time requires a safe, responsible, & respectful school bus environment."
“I would like them to fire the bus driver, and I want him arrested,” Wilson said, adding, “They told me that he is on administrative leave, but that they can't tell me anything further because that's his own personal business.”
The JOLT has requested additional information, including the video, from NTPS for follow-up reporting.
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