HOUSTON – A school bus driver for Cypress-Fairbanks ISD has been placed on administrative leave, following allegations that she assaulted a child while on board the bus, district officials confirmed Thursday.
"We are working with our transportation department to conduct a thorough investigation," a spokesperson said in a statement.
Angela Selph said a school bus driver assaulted her 9-year-old son, Christian, Wednesday, during his ride home from school.
"I was beyond angry. I was livid," Selph said.
Christian, a third-grade student at Lucille Frazier Elementary, said the bus driver pulled him by his arm after yelling at him about where he was sitting on board the bus.
"She grabbed my arm and she dragged me all the way to the seat and she put [her hand] on my shoulder, like she pushed me down to the seat," Christian said.
"[She left] a mark where you could tell where she grabbed him and a nail mark," Selph said, describing injuries she claimed the bus driver inflicted on Christian.
Christian has been diagnosed with bipolar disorder, according to his mother, and has been scared since Wednesday's ordeal.
"He was very upset. He was rocking," she said.
Selph said two other children of hers were on board the bus and witnessed the incident. They told her what happened as soon as they got home, she said, prompting her to contact the Cy-Fair ISD Transportation Department.
While Selph says the bus driver in question drove her children to school again Thursday, along with supervision from another driver, by Thursday afternoon, another driver had been assigned the route.
Selph has filed a formal complaint with Cy-Fair ISD Police, which is investigating the matter.
CY-FAIR ISD FULL STATEMENT:
"We are aware of the allegations brought forth against one of our bus drivers and we take this matter very seriously.
We are working with our transportation department to conduct a thorough investigation. In the meantime, the bus driver will remain on administrative leave pending the outcome of the investigation."