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Bus driver allegedly told students not to speak Spanish before slamming brakes

13 On Your Side’s Arlette Yousif speaks to parents about alleged incident

A Bus Driver at Woodard Junior High School allegedly told students they couldn't speak Spanish while riding the bus.

The bus driver in question allegedly rerouted students back to school instead of the bus stop to get home, leaving parents in the dark about the whereabouts of their children for about 20 minutes.

Gabriela Medina says her 13-year-old son and 12-year-old daughter were on the bus with about 20 other students last Friday when things allegedly got out of hand.

“My daughter let me know that they were being transported from the, from wherever they were, back to the school because she, because the bus driver let them know they can’t speak Spanish.”

Medina says her cousin arrived at the school to pick up her children while she was at work, and found the kids outside with no adult supervision.

“Why aren’t my children being transported how they should be transported? Why didn’t I know their whereabouts for almost 20 minutes? That is not okay,” explains Medina.

But Medina says that’s only part of the problem…

“She even slammed the brakes on them. That’s a big no. My children and all of the other children were in harm's way,” says Medina.

Comfort and safety of children… an active thought for most parents.

“Bus drivers shouldn’t be concerned with what language kids are speaking. They should be just concerned with getting them to their destination safely,” explains Donald Crawford.

“I think it’s uncalled for. Every child should be able to speak whatever language they feel comfortable with,” says Mandy Sevada.

Medina says she has not seen the bus driver in question since the incident on May 13.

Yuma Elementary School District One has not confirmed or denied whether the driver is still working or on administrative leave. However, the district confirms it received a report of the incident and is investigating and taking the allegations very seriously… but has declined to comment on camera at this time.

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Arlette Yousif

Arlette Yousif joined KYMA in November 2020 as a Multi Media Journalist. She holds a BA in Journalism with a minor in Film.

You can reach out to Arlette for at arlette.yousif@kecytv.com.

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