Parents Demand Reinstatement of School Bus Driver Fired Over Rescue of Injured Kitten

Parents in a rural Maryland county are organizing a petition to demand the reinstatement of a beloved school bus driver who was fired after stopping her bus to let a student rescue an injured kitten by the side of the road.So far more than 1,530 persons have signed the petition, according to the organizer of the petition, resident Julie Long. The driver, 67-year-old Cynthia Morgan, “is a valued member of our community” who “has become more than just a bus driver to our children; she is someone they look forward to seeing every morning and afternoon,” Ms. Long writes on the website hosting the petition.According to reports in the Baltimore Sun and a local CBS News affiliate, 10-year-old Alex Thomas was the only pupil on the bus when he spotted the tiny gray and black kitten shivering by the side of a lightly trafficked two-lane road near Pylesville, Maryland, population 933. Responding to his appeals, Ms. Morgan stopped her bus and allowed Alex to pick up the kitten, who remained with Ms. Morgan after Alex got off the bus.One week later, Ms. Morgan was officially terminated from her route by the director of transportation for Harford County Public Schools, who said there were other unspecified factors besides the kitten incident involved in the firing.Outraged parents acknowledge that the driver, an 11-year veteran, violated school district rules by making an unauthorized stop but point out that the country road has very little traffic and insist Ms. Morgan would not have halted the bus if there had been any danger. “We just feel the way that it was handled was not appropriate,” parent Carolyn Kalambihis told the CBS affiliate, WJZ. “We feel that termination was a little excessive.”Alex’s mother, Taffy Thomas, told the Baltimore Sun that her son “would have been devastated” if Ms. Morgan had not stopped to let him help the injured kitten. “The fact that she was let go because of an act of kindness does really weigh on him,” Ms. Thomas said. “That is unforgivable and cruel.”Ms. Kalambihis told WJZ that Ms. Morgan is “an angel” who gifts every child on the bus with school supplies at the beginning of the school year. “She buys them gifts for Christmas, every holiday, birthdays she gives them birthday cards, all out of her own pocket. She just does it because it makes her feel good.”Ms. Long’s petition says that Ms. Morgan’s “dedication to ensuring the safety and well-being of our children is unmatched.” It adds that “her kind and warm nature makes the pupils feel safe and comfortable. This is not just my personal sentiment — countless parents and students share the same view. Her abrupt dismissal is a loss not just for the students who ride her bus but for our community at large.”WJZ said Ms. Morgan declined to be interviewed on camera but said she was “devastated” by her dismissal.In a statement provided to WJZ and the Baltimore Sun, the school district said student safety “remains our top priority, and all certification decisions are made with that responsibility in mind.” The statement added that “certification and decertification are not always based on a single factor but often involve consideration of multiple circumstances and requirements.”

Parents Demand Reinstatement of School Bus Driver Fired Over Rescue of Injured Kitten

Parents Demand Reinstatement of School Bus Driver Fired Over Rescue of Injured Kitten

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