WATERBURY, Conn. (WTNH) — Waterbury Police confirmed to News 8 they’re investigating an alleged confrontation between a parent and a school bus driver that occurred last Monday.
Police say they got a call about an alleged incident on Sept. 13 around 5:20 p.m. on North Main Street in the area of Regan Elementary School. They say they’re investigating if the parent slapped the bus driver across the face.
Waterbury Board of Education Commissioner Tom Van Stone, Sr. spoke to News 8 Monday afternoon about the alleged incident.
“You just can’t do that. You can’t do that on so many levels,” he said. “You can’t hit another person.”
He says it happened in front of several children who were on the bus.
The issue of late school buses this year has been a contentious one, frustrating and angering parents. Some parents have told News 8 on some days, they’ve waited hours for their kids to get home or their kids have waited much longer than usual in the mornings for their bus to finally pick them up.
Even so, Commissioner Van Stone is calling for calm and patience, saying there’s no need for violence.
“It cannot happen, it should not happen and we’re certainly going to need to keep an eye on that during these difficult times when everyone is stressed,” Van Stone said.
The bus driver works for Durham School Services. Van Stone says communication with them has improved. The Waterbury Public School district is now having meetings with them on a consistent basis.
A spokesperson for Durham’s parent company says progress is being made in hiring new drivers. He says there are 20 new people in the pipeline and 14 have their permits and are now taking their road tests — that’s up from 10 last week.
Police say they’re preparing an arrest warrant for the parent involved in the alleged confrontation. She could face assault and breach of peace charges.