Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus driver suspended
A Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus driver has been suspended pending an investigation into whether the driver encouraged a fight between two North Ridge Middle eighth-grade girls Tuesday afternoon.
“Whether the driver followed protocol and the driver’s behavior is part of the investigation,” CMS spokesman Brian Hacker said in a statement.
A grandmother of one of the girls told WSOC-TV that the driver encouraged the fight when the girls boarded the bus at the school, which is on The Plaza near East W.T. Harris Boulevard.
The grandmother told the station that when the bus arrived at the other girl’s stop, the driver allowed that girl’s mother to board the bus and provoke her granddaughter into fighting. Then, she said, the driver put the bus in park with the door open while taunting continued outside the bus.
The driver then left the bus to videotape the fight and allowed students to get off the bus and videotape as well, the grandmother told WSOC, which aired raw video of the fight.
Joe Marusak: 704-358-5067, @jmarusak
This story was originally published June 2, 2016 at 9:54 AM with the headline "Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools bus driver suspended."