Denver DA Releases Statement on School Bus Incident (Martin)

DENVER—On Wednesday, September 18, 2019, a school bus en route from Denver Green School Northfield made an unscheduled stop because some students were unruly. The bus driver and a paraprofessional, who acts as a bus monitor, pulled the bus over before its scheduled stop in an attempt to calm matters and also radioed for assistance. Some students began texting and calling parents and a small group of adults quickly gathered. While pulled over, a parent, Brandi Martin, climbed onto the bus and a physical altercation took place between her and the DPS officials.

Denver District Attorney Beth McCann made the following statement:

“After reviewing all of the video footage and other materials, it is clear that this incident escalated very quickly and was difficult and emotional for everyone involved.  The bus driver and the bus monitor were confronted with a very challenging situation in which some students caused enough of a disturbance that for safety reasons, the driver pulled over to try and calm matters.  At least one student alleged there was inappropriate touching, however, those claims are baseless and only contributed to the quickly unfolding events.  When parents saw that the bus stopped before its scheduled drop off location, and heard kids screaming, they understandably became concerned and tensions further escalated.

Given all the circumstances, my office will not be filing any criminal charges arising out of this incident. The DPS employees were in a difficult situation and believed they were handling matters as best they could. Ms. Martin was concerned about her child and took action that she believed was appropriate. Criminal charges are not warranted although I hope that the parties are able to move forward and recognize the respective positions of those involved.”

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