GRAY, Tenn. (WJHL) — A Tennessee mother says after having “ongoing issues” with her children’s school bus driver, she decided to hit record on her phone and confront the driver.
Video of the incident was shared on TikTok by the children’s mother, Cassaundra Rubi. The video has been viewed more than 30 million times.
In the video, Rubi told the driver, “Please don’t yell at my kids today.” It prompted a quick response from the driver, who said, “I don’t yell at your kids. … No, I do not. You shut your mouth.”
“They come home crying off the bus,” Rubi told NewsNation affiliate WJHL. “They used to love the bus. So I was like, let me just ask her nicely, ‘Please don’t yell at my kids.’ Honestly, I thought her response was going to be completely different.”
Rubi said she first tried to address the issue by contacting the county’s bus garage before confronting the driver on her own in the now-viral video exchange.
“I’m asking you not to yell at my kids,” Rubi can be heard saying in the video.
“How dare you tell me not to yell at your kids?” the bus driver responds.
“Yes, they cry every day,” Rubi said before the bus driver pulled away at the end of the video.
WJHL could not contact the driver in the video for comment, but the school vowed to investigate the allegations fully.
“Maybe it was because I had mentioned something to her, and maybe her heart rate got up. But the way it was handled was not OK,” Rubi told WJHL.
Washington County Schools system confirmed Friday there is a new bus driver on Rubi’s route, but officials said they could not confirm the status of the original driver’s employment.
“I felt so disrespected by her. I just feel like they should re-evaluate all of their drivers. Look at different footage to make sure their drivers are doing their job, and they are being respectful to our children,” Rubi said.
WJHL reached out to the county bus garage to ask for a response or for any video that may be collected from cameras on the bus. As of Friday, the school system is on fall break, so there may be a delay in that request.
Washington County Schools issued a statement in response to the incident:
The Washington County Schools (WCS) administration is taking immediate and decisive action to address a complaint made to school officials alleging employee misconduct of a WCS bus driver captured on video during a bus route yesterday, Tuesday, September 28, 2021. The physical and social-emotional well-being of our students and staff remains a top priority. It is our policy to fully investigate all allegations and take necessary actions upon completion of the investigation process.
The District cannot discuss confidential personnel matters. However, we want to assure all of our stakeholders of the Washington County Schools community that all allegations of misconduct are taken seriously by the District. Steps will be taken to address any misconduct that does not align to our district’s and community’s expectations of professional conduct.
DR. JARROD ADAMS – CHIEF OPERATIONS OFFICER
WASHINGTON COUNTY DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
