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Bus driver tells Red Lake board she was denied ADA accommodation, alleges harassment and mishandled investigation
Summary
AR Johnson, a district bus driver, told the board she repeatedly sought a transfer from an hour-plus route for medical reasons, said supervisors and HR required extra medical detail and assigned her to clerical duties instead of allowing restroom breaks; she also reported a naked photo in the bus garage bathroom and said she feared retaliation.
AR Johnson, a bus driver for Red Lake Public School District, told the school board during public comment that she repeatedly requested a transfer from a more-than–one-hour Route 21 because of medical problems and was denied despite providing a doctor’s note.
Johnson said she began experiencing urinary tract symptoms and sought a shorter route so she could take needed restroom breaks. She told the board the district’s HR representative, Ashley Nelson, told her to provide a more detailed doctor’s note and that, in the interim, supervisors assigned her to clerical work rather than permit the accommodation she had requested. "I just could not do it," Johnson said, describing physical pain and repeated denials of her transfer requests.
Johnson also described a separate concern: she said a naked photo was posted in the bus-garage bathroom and that the matter was assigned to an investigator, Dustin Kinkley. She said the handling of that incident, and how supervisors responded to her accommodation requests, left her feeling harassed and fearful of retaliation. "It felt a little bit harassing," she said of an interaction with her supervisor.
Business manager Willie Larson acknowledged Johnson’s report and told the board he had taken details and planned to follow up. "I’ll get right on it," Larson said when Johnson raised the garage-photo allegation and related concerns about supervisory response.
Board members did not take formal action during Johnson’s comment period. School officials told Johnson they would look into the issues she raised and follow up; the record shows HR and district administrators were already involved in the accommodation and the internal investigation as described by Johnson.
Why it matters: Johnson’s remarks raise questions about how the district balances medical accommodation requests, supervisor discretion in route assignments, and how workplace incidents (including allegations about the bus-garage restroom) are investigated. The board’s staff said they would investigate and report back, which is the next step in any personnel or safety-related inquiry.
