A substitute bus driver in Colorado has been fired after he reportedly dropped off 40 children at a cemetery amid freezing temperatures.
Irving Johnson, the driver, has been a school bus driver with Douglas County for seven years. Earlier this week, he was assigned to fill in to drive a bus for students from Clear Sky Elementary School. However, the route he normally took was not running, which allegedly led him to take an unfamiliar route.
Johnson was later accused of missing stops along the route and eventually forcing kids off the bus at Castle Rock cemetery in the 30-degree weather, per KDVR.
Students Thought They Were Being Kidnapped
The students who got on Johnson's bus that day told KUSA that the driver had threatened that they would not be leaving the school until the children "stopped talking." At one point, Johnson told the kids that he could be "as tough as I need to be" so they would behave. This resulted in the bus leaving the school late.
The children said Johnson began driving erratically after leaving the school. He was also accused of yelling at the students and skipping the students' stops, making some of the students feel like they were being kidnapped.
The children were eventually dropped off at the intersection near Wolfensberger Road and Auburn Drive---near the cemetery---at 5 p.m. local time.
School Bus Driver's Account
The driver has pushed back against the claims of the students and their parents. He said he missed the stops because it was his first time driving the route and that he was dependent on a tablet for directions. He also said that he had a hard time reading the street signs because it was already dusk when they were on the road.
When asked why he dropped off the children near the cemetery, Johnson claimed he "saw the parents" on the side of the road, so he stopped despite it not being the correct bus stop. He also said he never told the children to get off but noted that all 40 passengers lined up to exit the bus at the intersection.
Johnson said he "could have done better" at the stop but argued that no similar incident has happened in his years of being a bus driver. He has since been fired by the school district.
The Douglas County School District is working with the Castle Rock Police Department to investigate Johnson's actions.
