Student Transportation of America, the operator of the bus, told First Coast News the bus driver has been removed from service pending an investigation.
JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — An investigation is currently underway after an unauthorized individual boarded a school bus and touched a Duval County high school student on Monday, according to the school district.
Duval County Public Schools said the unauthorized individual was allowed onto the bus, which was on the way to Riverside High School and operated by Student Transportation of America. There were reportedly around five to seven students on board at the time.
DCPS said bus video indicates the individual “briefly reached over and touched a student on the knee.” The individual exited the bus shortly after, according to the school district, who added that the person was on board for less than a minute.
When the bus arrived at Riverside High, DCPS said school administrators immediately ensured that students were safe, provided support and notified families about the “deeply troubling” incident.
“This remains an active investigation, and we are working closely with the appropriate authorities,” DCPS said in a statement to First Coast News. “We are very concerned that established safety protocols were not followed by our transportation vendor. Once the investigation is complete, the district will take any and all appropriate action.”
Student Transportation of America released the following statement regarding the incident to First Coast News:
“We are investigating the allegations in collaboration with the Duval County Public Schools Police. The driver has been removed from service pending investigation. The safety of our students is of the utmost importance. We cannot comment on personnel details and have nothing further to share at this stage regarding this active investigation.”