Bus Driver Accused

Dec. 3-A Kansas school bus driver is facing charges after a school bus scuffle with a student.

A Goddard school bus driver is accused of hurting a student.

He's suspended, but as of this week he's driving a bus once again.

15-year-old Michael Helvie of Goddard High School says about a month ago he had a suprisingly rough run-in with his bus driver.

"He kind of went like this and got his thumb up against the pressure point right up in here."

It all started with Helvie making fun of driver Nathan Wilson's straw hat.

Helvie says he then tapped on another students head, to get his attention.

The bus driver then told Helvie to show him what he just did.

So, according to witnesses, the driver took off his hat and Helvie tapped on his head.

That's when Helvie and around 10 witnesses say the driver aggressively grabbed the student's throat.

Helvie's mother Teri says, "I was mad. And I'm scared."

The family filed a complaint with Goddard School Police.

Wilson was suspended, but the district says he's now o-k to drive.

Teri Helvie asks, "After what he did to Michael, what's to say he won't hurt another kid?"

Goddard Asst. Superintendent Rod Dietz says, "We care about the safety of children and we've done what we had to do."

In the report the officer writes after interviewing the driver, Helvie also said he didn't grab Michael's throat and he would never intentionally hurt anyone and he didn't think he hurt Michael.

It continues...He said that in the nine years he's been driving he has had to man-handle a few kids, but he's never hurt any of them.

Teri Helvie warns, "Somebody's driving your kid in Goddard to school, that choked my kid."

Although the witnesses provided almost identical stories and Wilson will soon be arraigned on battery charges, the district is letting him behind the wheel once again.

The bus driver will appear in court on December 28th.