Miles Jenkins, Louisiana school bus driver, 77, arrested hitting, choking middle school student as Jefferson Parish driver resigns following episode caught on video. Incident raises question as to hiring practise and training of contract drivers.
A Louisiana school bus driver was arrested after video showed him choking, striking and pushing a middle school student on his bus, the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office confirmed Thursday.
Miles Jenkins, 77, was charged with simple battery after allegedly assaulting the young boy during an apparent dispute outside of Marrero Middle School before driving the students.
In the video taken by another student, Jenkins allegedly approached the student and shoved him back into the seat before slapping him across the face and shoving him again.
‘Get off him!’
The boy attempted to stand his ground only for Jenkins to overpower him, video shared by Fox 8 Live shows.
Footage showed the driver pinning the student to the window before placing his hands around his neck and choking the boy for several seconds as other students on the bus scream, ‘Get off of him.’
The student and the driver eventually walk toward the bus door before the video cuts off.
The circumstances leading up to Jenkins’ attacking the boy are not known.
The student’s father alerted the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office, who opened up an investigation and arrested Jenkins on Oct. 31. The incident according to authorities happened Monday
Jenkins was jailed on a $500 bond, but was released without having to pay because of crowding in the jail, according to nola.com.
Jefferson Parish Schools says Jenkins was contracted to work for the school district and was an employee for third-party bus service First Student.
Training and recruitment of contract workers
Marrero Middle School is located 10 miles outside of New Orleans.
The school district said all bus drivers are put through a state and federal background check, and must undergo before and during the time they drive students.
‘Bus drivers for our transportation vendor, First Student, are required to know and abide by our district’s policies and procedures,’ Jefferson Parish Schools spokesperson Kaela Lewis told WVUE. ‘To the extent that drivers fail to follow those policies and procedures, they are not fulfilling the requirements of their job.’
As per policy, if the bus driver believes a student is not behaving while on the bus, they are asked to report them using an office referral, according to the school district.
‘Once reported, district and school disciplinary policies are followed, and if necessary, appropriate disciplinary actions are taken,’ Lewis added.
Jenkins resigned from his position at First Student following his arrest.
‘At First Student, we invest heavily in the comprehensive training and ongoing development of our drivers. They receive an average of 40 hours of training before operating a bus, which is more than double the federal requirement,’ the company said in a statement to Fox 8 Live.
‘Drivers also go through regular enhancement training during their tenure with the company. We monitor driver performance daily and conduct annual evaluations.’
The school district said the bus Jenkins was driving had cameras installed, but it is unknown if they were recording at the time of the incident.
The district said it provides bus monitors to selected routes to accommodate students with special needs, though, it is unclear if there was one assigned to Jenkins’ bus.
