Colorado school bus driver dismissed after 40 kids left at wrong stop in freezing temperatures

Marlene Lenthang

November 22, 2024 at 8:08 PM

A Colorado school bus driver allegedly abandoned 40 elementary school-aged students at the wrong stop on Monday, leaving them frightened in the cold and dark, school officials and students say.

The ordeal left young students from Clear Sky Elementary School in Castle Rock distressed, in tears and seeking aid from strangers, said school officials. Castle Rock is located about 30 miles south of Denver.

The Douglas County School District said the driver, Irving Johnson, was a substitute who failed to follow proper protocols.

Student Caitlyn Zavadil, 10, told NBC affiliate KUSA of Denver, that the journey home started later than usual as "he wouldn't let us leave the school until we stopped talking."

Once they were on the road, he skipped the students' drop off stops.

"We felt like when he was driving and missing our stops, like we were getting kidnapped," Caitlyn said.

The driver ultimately drove to near the corner of East Wolfensberger Road and Auburn Drive, about two miles away from the school, and he allegedly told the kids to disembark into the cold around 5 p.m.

"He stopped like right here at this intersection, like about right here, and said 'everybody get off my bus,'" Caitlyn said. "And then everybody was like stressing, like crying."

"Me and my little sister, we live like two miles away from here, so we had like no idea what to do," Caitlyn said.

Monday saw a high of 51F and a low of 19F in Castle Rock, according to The Weather Channel. Caitlyn said she and her sister were so stressed by the situation they forgot their jackets on the bus and had to stand in the cold.

A stranger ended up helping the girls, offering them a ride and calling their mother. Caitlyn's mother, Ashley Stark, told KUSA: "I was absolutely petrified, and for a stranger to call me and tell me that she had my children in the car and they were crying and screaming, and bright red and frozen."

The Douglas County School District sent apology email on Wednesday to the families of the students on the bus saying the driver is no longer employed by the district.

"On Monday, a relief driver was covering route #253. Relief drivers are full-time employees who step in as needed across our 850 square mile district," the district's Chief Operations Officer Rich Cosgrove said in the email to parents that was shared with NBC News. "Your child's route consists of 12 stops. On the third stop on Monday afternoon, the bus stopped just short of the usual location, leading to some confusion. At that time, the remaining 40 students on the bus all exited, with many getting off at the wrong bus stop."

"Regrettably, the driver did not follow protocol when this happened," the email said. "The driver should have immediately notified DCSD transportation dispatch."

The driver, Irving Johnson, shared an apology for the incident on Wednesday.

"I would just like to apologize. I am sorry. I wish I had done better," he told KUSA. He said he was unfamiliar with the route and his tablet wasn't working so he asked the kids for directions.

When asked if he felt like he did his job keeping the kids safe, he said, "No, I don't. I didn't think about the fact that I had kids who got off the bus and this wasn't their stop. I was just stunned," he said.

In the apology email Cosgrove assured that the district is "actively reinforcing our safety procedures with all of our drivers," calling the incident "troubling."

The district noted that some parents have asked to view video footage from the bus during the incident, but said the footage won't be released as an active investigation with the Castle Rock Police Department is underway.