Georgetown ISD parents demand apology from district after bus incident

GEORGETOWN, Texas - A group of Forbes Middle School parents want an apology from the school after a bus driver refused to let students off the bus and detained them for more than an hour this week. 

Parents were already on edge due to a bomb threat to the high school in Georgetown ISD the same day. 

What happened?

What they're saying:

Georgetown ISD students were not allowed to leave the school bus because the driver thought he smelled marijuana. 

"My son texted me and said that the bus driver had pulled over and wasn't letting them off, and the bus driver had called the cops," said Angie Guzman, a parent of an 8th grader at Forbes Middle School.

"It was a big mess," said Guzman. "All the kids were crying, parents were blocking the streets because they're trying to get to their kids."

Four police units arrived, and the officers called each child by name to let them exit one by one.

"Finally, the cops arrived. It was 45 minutes with the kids still on the bus. It's a disaster," said Crystal Corral, a parent.

Guzman said the police seemed calm but tried to avoid speaking with parents and mostly spoke with the superintendent, who was first to arrive. 

"The cops just kind of stood around and chatted and kind of just waited," said Guzman.

She said none of the students were searched and nothing was found. 

"They shouldn't try to dismiss this as frustrated parents over a delay and drop off like it's a real situation," said Guzman. "They would not let our children off of that bus."

The school district responded to FOX 7 Austin's request for comment, stating that they use the SMART Tag System, which notifies parents of issues like traffic delays and tracks the bus route. 

"When they did the delay on our phone, they were just saying it's just delayed," said Corral. "So we're assuming like he's still at school or something."

"It seemed to me like they were trying to, like, brush it off, as we're just frustrated with the delay, and then that was it," said Guzman. "We haven't heard anything else, and it's Friday, and this happened on Wednesday." 

The parents said they only wanted an explanation from the district and an apology.

Georgetown ISD's response

What they're saying:

Following the incident, the email sent to the parents stated,"We recognize that delays in delivering students to and from school can be both an inconvenience and cause frustration for those involved. Student safety is our top priority and our drivers are encouraged to use a variety of resources when they feel they need additional support to guarantee the safety of all students aboard their buses. We are working with the driver of Bus341 to address their concern and other next steps … If you have questions, we encourage you to contact our Transportation Director, David Gray." 

Below is the direct response from the school district to FOX 7: 

"Student safety is our top priority, and our drivers are encouraged to use a variety of resources when they feel they need additional support to guarantee the safety of all students aboard their buses, including calling for law enforcement support. The driver of Bus 341 called for law enforcement support on Wednesday evening following an on-board incident, pulled over into a safe location, and waited for law enforcement to arrive. The driver acted according to their training and followed district protocols. Law enforcement response times vary and officers took longer than usual to respond that evening, which is both unfortunate and out of our control. That wait time caused understandable frustration to everyone involved. During that time, students were safe and secure and later released to their parents. Regarding communications, parents were notified of the delay and received follow-up communications after the event. Georgetown ISD uses the SMART Tag system to track bus riders, ensure they get on/off the correct bus and notify parents of their arrival to campus or home. The system also notifies parents of delays as they arise. Parents were notified via the SMART Tag system on Wednesday evening when the bus pulled over that the bus was delayed. The transportation team followed up with the parents after the incident to acknowledge the delay and their concerns.  That message was also delivered via the SMART Tag system and is below: We recognize that delays in delivering students to and from school can be both an inconvenience and cause frustration for those involved. Student safety is our top priority and our drivers are encouraged to use a variety of resources when they feel they need additional support to guarantee the safety of all students aboard their buses. We are working with the driver of Bus 341 to address their concern and other next steps. If you have questions, we encourage you to contact our Transportation Director."