Video that appears to show a mother and student pummeling a Baton Rouge school bus driver spread on social media Wednesday, leading a top Baton Rouge leader to say something needs to be done about attacks on school staff.
“I don’t think our teachers, our bus drivers, our custodians, our cafeteria workers, our paraprofessionals, any of the staff who work in the school system, deserve to be treated that way,” said LaMont Cole, mayor pro tem and leader of the Metro Council. He also is Chief Academic Officer for CSAL INC Charter Schools.
“Until we put protections in place to ensure if someone chooses to treat them in that way, physically assault them, they’ll be punished to the fullest extent of the law,” Cole added.
The video shows a person who appears to be a parent begin punching the bus driver repeatedly, and at least one student joins in.
A screenshot of a video that circulated on social media Tuesday appears to show a parent attacking a school bus driver in Baton Rouge.
It was not immediately clear which school’s students were on the bus. The East Baton Rouge Parish public school system said the fight did not occur on a district bus, but likely happened on one for a local charter school — charters usually hire private bus companies to transport students. Cole said the bus was carrying students from Kenilworth Science and Technology Charter School, and the Instagram account that posted the video shows a student in the school’s uniform.
Kenilworth officials did not respond to a request for comment.
Baton Rouge Police are investigating the incident, a spokesman said, but further details were not immediately available.
Carole Whitesell, who has been driving a school bus for the East Baton Rouge Parish school system for the past 40 years, said she can’t recall a case in the past where a parent hit a driver, but she said parents can and will argue with a driver.
“They’ll stand and argue at the door,” Whitesell said. “We’re told if they start up the stairs to close the door.”
“They really do get angry, especially elementary parents, not so much with high school (parents),” she added.
Fights between students and drivers are more common. When those happen, the drivers immediately contact the district’s Transportation Office for help. The worst such fight, she said, was many years ago.
“We had one driver, she got beat up so bad she lost an eye,” Whitesell recalled.
The most dangerous time is if a fight breaks out while the driver is driving.
“Once you are in a seat belt and they attack you, there’s nothing you can do,” she said. “It’s not a good situation.”
Cole said the video is particularly troubling because a parent was involved. He said he’s investigating whether city government can do anything to strengthen safety for school employees.
“If we do have the authority — and I’m going to speak to the parish attorney to see — I’ll be bringing forth legislation to do so.” Cole said. “If we can’t do anything at the local level and the school system can’t create any parameters or any laws outside of their scope, then we have to take it to the Legislature, and I’d be willing to talk to our Baton Rouge delegation to do so.”
He continued: “We entrust these individuals to protect and take care of our children, and when they are assaulted while in the process of doing so, you not only put them in danger, you put the children in danger.”
Staff writer Lara Nicholson contributed to this report.
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