SARATOGA SPRINGS, Utah — Two bus drivers in Utah have been placed on administrative leave this week for how they responded to students telling them they made a wrong turn.
A parent of a student Dry Creek Elementary School in Lehi sent a video to FOX 13 News on Friday that their child recorded while riding the bus home that afternoon.
"One more person says 'Where are we going,' I'm going to shoot them," the driver is heard saying on the bus intercom in the video (which can be viewed above). "OK, now listen — I missed the stop; I'm trying to turn around. Do you understand? OK. Sit down and be quiet."
A spokesperson for the Alpine School District sent a statement in response to FOX 13's request for a comment on the incident:
"We are aware of a situation on a bus today. The employee is on administrative leave pending an investigation. We strongly condemn any threatening action or language directed toward others. We expect all employees to create safe and nurturing environments free of verbal or physical threats. Appropriate action will be taken to ensure this matter is addressed and not repeated."
The bus happened to be going past the Alpine School District Transportation West Office in Saratoga Springs when this happened.
Just two days prior, FOX 13 received another video taken by a student on a bus in the Tooele County School District, where the driver screamed at the kids on board who were telling her she was going the wrong way.
"I know! OK? Shut up!" she can be heard yelling. "I'm gonna turn around, OK? Shut up!"
The Tooele County School District said the driver was a substitute, and a spokesperson confirmed that the driver "became frustrated and screamed at them" when the kids told her she made a wrong turn.
"It was apparent the students were trying to be helpful, and her response was not acceptable or conducive to our district values," the district's statement read. "The substitute driver has since been placed on administrative leave pending an investigation into the incident... parents and guardians of the students who were on that bus should be contacted through email tonight [Thursday] explaining what happened, just in case they were not already aware."
Since 2021, school districts across the country, including here in Utah, have been struggling to find enough bus drivers — similar to "shortages" of employees in many other professions and industries.
