A Georgia school bus driver has been suspended following an altercation with a parent that resulted in the bus being driven away, forcing screaming children to climb out of the windows.
Multiple videos of the incident have been shared on social media which has resulted in a full police investigation into the matter.
The driver, who remains unidentified, was a substitute filling in after the regular driver called in sick, and parents became disgruntled when the drop-off process "broke down."
Channel 2 Action News investigated the story, and report that the children in the now-viral videos were from Allgood Elementary in Paulding County. The incident that occurred on Wednesday (January 18) took place at the Old Harris Road and Jimmy Lee Smith Parkway bus stop.
One video of the incident can be seen below:As viral videos circulating social media show, an argument ensued between the parents and the bus driver, which resulted in the bus driver appearing to receive a slap to the face.
The driver went back to her seat, where she closed the doors of the bus and drove off, leaving the children still onboard screaming out of the windows as their parents looked on.
The bus driver spoke to Atlanta News First where she revealed that she was not attempting to kidnap the children, as some parents have accused her of, but was trying to take them back to the school following the physical altercation.
"I thought it was to make sure those babies were brought to a safe location," the driver said. "That’s why I was headed back to school before I was blocked by parents in the middle of the road."
The Atlanta news outlet went on to reveal that the driver was refusing the let children off the bus if they didn't have a yellow tag, which is an identifier for kids who aren't allowed to exit the bus alone.
After driving away, the footage shows the bus stopping at a red light, with parents using this as their time to take action as they blocked the bus and began helping the terrified children climb out through the windows.
The school district offered this statement to parents, via Atlanta News First: "The school district is investigating the issue as a personnel matter, and the driver has been suspended pending an internal investigation.
"After law enforcement arrived and students for that stop had deboarded the bus, a supervisor assisted in the transportation of the remaining students. Thankfully, all students eventually arrived home safely. This situation remains under investigation by the Dallas Police Department."
Anybody with further information on the incident is being asked to get in touch with the Dallas Police Department.