Video captures chaos aboard school bus before parent taken into custody
By Denzen Cortez
Click here for updates on this story
CALAVERAS COUNTY, California (KCRA) — A chaotic ride home aboard a Calaveras Unified school bus ended with a law enforcement response Monday, as video captured students and a parent climbing through bus windows. Parents are now offering differing views over how the situation was handled.
The incident unfolded along Highway 49 near Russell Road.
“Everybody was screaming and stuff because they were excited to get off the bus,” said a 12-year-old student who was on board.
The student told KCRA 3 the bus had stopped when another student climbed out through a window.
“That’s when the bus driver was like, ‘Sit down, roll up the windows,'” the student said.
The student said the driver told students they would have to wait for law enforcement before getting off the bus. Parents who spoke with KCRA 3 said students remained on the stopped bus for about an hour with windows rolled up, as more parents began arriving.
Nichole Wellington said her son called her from the bus and was scared. She drove to the scene and asked the driver to release him.
“I went right to the door, and I was like, ‘Dude, open the door. Let me have my kid.’ And he’s like, ‘I’m not doing that,'” Wellington said.
Wellington said she eventually gave her son permission to climb out through a window while she waited outside.
“If he would have handled that situation and gave the parents their kids that were there. I think it probably would have went a little bit differently than it did,” Wellington said.
Another parent, Rebecca Glover, whose two children were also aboard the bus, said she made a different decision after arriving at the scene.
Glover said she told her children to remain seated and wait. She said she believes the driver was trying to keep students safe.
“There was not just one child they had to think of,” Glover said. “They had to think of every single child on that bus at that time.”
Video provided to KCRA 3 by a student aboard the bus shows some of the chaotic moments as the situation unfolded. The video shows a student climbing out through a window and, later, a parent climbing into the bus through a window and confronting the driver.
The Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office said deputies responded to a disturbance involving a parent and the bus driver.
“During the incident, the parent struck the bus door, breaking the glass. The parent was ultimately taken into custody at the School District’s request for vandalism,” the sheriff’s office said.
The agency said some passengers were also reported to have exited through open windows, adding that students should only use a bus window as an exit during an emergency.
“School bus safety rules exist to protect students and should be followed by both students and parents,” the sheriff’s office said. “When concerns arise, allowing school staff and bus drivers to address them safely and appropriately can help prevent situations from escalating.”
The Calaveras Unified School District said the incident began with concerns over student behavior but declined to provide additional details.
“Yesterday, student behavior concerns on a district bus escalated and ultimately required law enforcement involvement,” Superintendent Kassie Meeks said in a statement. “As a result of the incident, one bus route has been impacted today, Tuesday, August 25, 2026.”
Meeks said the district would not provide additional details because the matter involves students and law enforcement.
The incident has also raised questions among parents about how similar situations should be handled in the future.
Wellington said she believes having another adult aboard could help drivers manage student behavior while focusing on the road.
“I do feel that maybe that bus driver, especially when he’s driving, should not have to deal with all those kids by himself,” Wellington said.
Glover said she believes more responsibility should fall on students and their families.
“Parents are now sending their children to school to be parented instead of parenting their children at home, and that is a concern,” Glover said.
Please note: This story was provided to CNN Wire by an affiliate and does not contain original CNN reporting. This content carries a strict local market embargo. If you share the same market as the contributor of this article, you may not use it on any platform.