Texas School Bus Driver Accused of Punishing Students Amid Heatwave

SEALY, TX - A Texas school bus driver is facing accusations of punishing students by driving slowly and forcing them to close windows during a scorching day. The incident took place in Sealy, Texas, and has sparked concerns about student safety and the conditions on school buses.

The incident, which occurred last Thursday, saw temperatures nearing triple digits with a heat index making it feel even hotter. According to Harry Daniels, a lawyer representing the families of two students involved, the bus ride that should have taken about six minutes lasted 30 minutes due to the driver’s actions. Daniels claimed the driver was intentionally driving slowly to discipline the students.

Video shows students complaining about the heat inside the un-air-conditioned bus. The footage also captures the driver stopping the bus and ordering the students to put up the windows, a move she justified by stating that students had been sticking their hands out of the windows. Daniels argued that the only source of air circulation was a small fan aimed solely at the driver, further intensifying the discomfort for the students.

Superintendent Bryan Hallmark of the Sealy Independent School District responded to the accusations, denying that the driver was slowing down to punish the students. Hallmark explained that the driver was maintaining a speed she deemed safe on the dirt road. He also mentioned that during the incident, roof hatches and other windows were open, providing some ventilation inside the bus.

Hallmark acknowledged that the district has received multiple complaints about the lack of air conditioning on several school buses. He confirmed that during the incident, the bus driver halted the vehicle for two minutes and 20 seconds to instruct a student to stop sticking their head out of the window and to close it.