FARMINGTON HILLS, Mich. (WXYZ) — Dominic Brown was one of a few parents who stopped a bus for Farmington Public Schools Thursday after children began calling them to say that the driver was out of control, slamming on the brakes, screaming at them, and going the wrong way.
"We did see plenty of kids with their arms out the window, beating on the window, screaming for help, just crying hysterically," Brown told 7 Action News Friday after parents reached out to the district and police for answers.
Cell phone video taken by Stephanie Bell, a parent, shows children exiting the bus visibly shaken and sobbing.
Matthew Souchuk, who has a son in the 5th grade at Beechview Elementary, was first to locate the school bus using a GPS tracker on his son's watch phone.
Souchuk said his son told him, "You've got to find us. The bus driver, she doesn't know where she's going and she's just driving crazy."
Souchuk recalls talking to the bus driver after demanding that she open the door.
"I said, 'Are you okay to be driving right now, ma'am?' And you could see she was frazzled. She had been crying. She was shaking. And I just said, 'Ma'am, I don't think you're okay to be driving right now.' And she's, like, 'I'm fine. I'm working with dispatch and I'm just going to get these kids to their houses.'"
Souchuk's son left with him, but the other children had to remain on the bus as the driver continued on until she was stopped by a couple more parents including Brown.
"I stood in between the doors so she couldn't close them to put it in drive and drive off," said Brown. "I said, 'These kids are screaming and crying. There's something wrong that you're not attending to.'"
Brown said his seven-year-old daughter Lilliana hit her head on a window when the driver hit the brakes.
Lilliana said the driver was screaming at people and "stomping on the brakes."
Standing next to her dad, Lilliana told 7 Action News that the bus driver had a helper the first two days but that she was by herself Thursday, looking at a piece of paper for directions.
Concerned parents also contacted Farmington Hills Police to respond to the incident.
A spokesperson for Farmington Public Schools released a statement that read, in part, "We did have one of our new bus drivers who missed a bus stop and due to the neighborhood roads, could not turn the bus around. The driver became lost in navigating out of the sub to head back toward the stop. The driver, who became flustered, then pulled into the Kroger parking lot (to review the map and route). The driver did not let off students at any unauthorized stops."
Parents said more training is necessary and perhaps the use of GPS to help guide new drivers.
7 Action News has been told that the driver is undergoing additional training and is not currently assigned to that route.
Brown found it strange that, while there are in-bus cameras that should have recorded the entire incident, he said police informed him that there is no video available.
Under the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), 7 Action News filed a request for any in-bus video. On Friday, a spokesperson said our request is "in process" but she would not confirm whether any video actually exists.
7 Action News contacted Farmington Hills Police and Chief Jeff King confirmed that officers did respond to some missed bus stops, but he said the matter was being handled, internally, by the school district.
The following is a letter sent to parents from the principal of Beechview Elementary students.
Beechview Families,
Good Afternoon!
I am sending this communication to address a transportation incident that you may be aware of that occurred yesterday (9/7/23) during the commute home for students.
One of our buses missed a stop and became lost in navigating the route. The new driver to FPS became flustered. Some students began texting and calling their parents which resulted in a parent calling the Farmington Hills Police Department. The driver then turned into the Kroger parking lot to review the map and route over the radio with the dispatcher. Upon re-entering the neighborhood, when the bus was at a stop, parent cars prevented the bus from continuing the route until police arrived.
Police arrived on the scene, spoke to the driver, and released the driver without incident, concern, or citation. Per District protocol, the bus dispatcher arrived on the scene and finished the route for the driver.
This morning, Transportation Supervisor Erin Hill personally drove the route and greeted all students and parents at each stop. He reassured parents that this was an isolated incident. Mr. Hill also shared that his department mentors all new drivers, and routinely reviews routes.
To support the social-emotional needs of our students, I along with our SEL Team met students riding this route when they arrived at Beechview this morning. We worked collaboratively to check in with students and to support them as they transitioned into school to start their school day.
Thank you for taking the time to read this communication and for your continued partnership in education at Beechview.
Together in Education,
Shawndra Hernton
Principal
Beechview Elementary School
