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Parent alleges substitute bus driver screamed at children; board directs superintendent to investigate
Summary
A parent told the board that a substitute bus driver repeatedly screamed at and intimidated children, saying her 8-year-old daughter was frightened and became physically ill. The board could not respond during delegations and asked Superintendent Mrs. Porter to investigate the allegation.
During the public-comment period, Kelsey Hornbeck told the Wetzel County Board of Education that multiple parents have reported aggressive behavior by a substitute bus driver employed by the district and urged the board to act.
"Reports consistently describe this man as screaming in children's faces, using profanity, threatening to throw phones out the window, and throwing away children's personal belongings," Hornbeck said. She described a call from her 8-year-old daughter that morning reporting emotional distress: "Less than 30 minutes into my daughter's bus ride this morning, I received a phone call from my 8-year-old daughter crying, begging, and pleading for me to get her off of the bus because she did not feel safe."
Hornbeck said the driver had been removed from a route in 2023–24 after an earlier incident and that a 2018 domestic battery arrest record raised concerns. "If screaming in children's faces to the point of emotional distress is considered acceptable behavior from Wetzel County school employees, then we have a much larger issue with safety within our county," she told the board.
Board policy limits responses during delegations; the board president asked the superintendent to look into the situation. Superintendent Mrs. Porter acknowledged the request and the board directed Mrs. Porter to investigate the complaint and report back to the board. The board did not take any immediate personnel action during the meeting.
The public comment was heard under the board's delegation procedures; the superintendent will follow up and the board's next meetings are scheduled for April 21 and April 28, with a special budget session April 29.
