School bus driver fired after physically sitting behind black student

A school bus driver in Georgia has been arrested and fired after he was seen pushing two black school kids caught in classmate’s cell phone footage.

According to FOX5, the Morgan County Sheriff’s Department arrested driver James O’Neill on Friday. Caucasian O’Neil was charged with a battery of 2 counts.

Nequania Carter, a mother of two children aged 6 and 10, told FOX5 the conflict began on Sept. 9. The boy disobeyed, so O’Neill became physical.

“My son is frightened. He was frightened. I heard him crying so I called my sister…he was scared…you should be protecting him,” she said. rice field.

A short clip that went viral shows an elderly white man, O’Neal, pushing a six-year-old boy into a seat. His 10-year-old sister jumps to his defense, screaming, “You’re pushing my brother.”

The driver tells his sister to “shut your mouth” and continues to treat the boy roughly. Her sister steadfastly asks her driver to stop touching her brother. Her driver points to the back of the bus and tells her to “get back there.” When her sister doesn’t move, her drive follows up with a much stronger thrust at her, forcing her to stumble a few steps back.

“You guys, what a sore neck. Get out of here. Get back in there,” says Driver before the video cuts.

Carter told local news outlets that this wasn’t the first time she’d had complaints against drivers.

“I never touched a child. I used to drive a school bus,” Carter told Fox5.

In a request for comment, the Morgan County Charter School System told FOX5 it was cooperating with authorities and fired O’Neal.

“The Morgan County Charter School System became aware of an incident Friday afternoon involving a bus driver and a student. As this is a personnel matter, we are unable to share further details or comments, but the driver has been dismissed.”

James O’Neill, who has been a driver for the Morgan County Charter School System since 2020, was arrested Friday. He spent his day in the Morgan County Detention Center before heading out to await trial. He is currently awaiting a court date to rule on the charges and plead.

Since then, Carter has permanently removed the children from the school system because of the incident.

“The emotional damage it has done … my kids don’t want to go back to school … they don’t want to go back to the school bus,” Carter said.