Bus overcrowding issues caught on camera

Mother 'livid' after 15-year-old forced to sit on floor of moving school bus

NASSAU COUNTY, Fla. – A video of a Nassau County 15-year-old sitting on the floor during her school bus ride has the girl's mother concerned for her daughter's safety.

Kristy Deangelo said she thought some of the issues her daughter told her about with overcrowding on her bus would work themselves out as the school year went on.

Classes started in Nassau County a little more than a week ago, and Deangelo said she called the district twice last week to tell them her daughter's bus was too crowded.

On Wednesday, the district sent a different bus, and students were told to sit three to a seat, which is district policy. But her daughter still ended up on the floor, texting Deangelo messages like, "I can't feel my feet. It hurts."

"She's like, 'Mom, I basically got shoved to the back of the bus. I am on the floor, and there's basically three kids like sitting on my legs,'" Deangelo said. "She's like, you know, one text after the other: 'I can't feel my legs. My legs are going numb. This is ridiculous.'

"I was livid, because I've already called twice, and this is how they choose to remedy the problem is (to) send another overcrowded bus?"

Deangelo said seeing the video of her daughter made it even worse, confirming what she didn't want to believe: That her daughter was sitting on the floor of her school bus, as the bus driver took the students to school.

"I mean if that (bus) gets in an accident, what's going to happen to these kids?" Deangelo said. "God forbid, you know?"

Deangelo said she doesn't understand how this could happen.

"It's like if I'm driving my car and I don't have enough seats in my car and I put my kids on the floor and they are not wearing seat belts, if I get pulled over, I'm going to get in big trouble," Deangelo said. "So why should it be any different for school buses? And they are carrying all these people's children."

Nassau County School District spokeswoman Sheryl Wood said it is district policy that bus drivers not operate a bus if it is over the stated capacity, which is three students to a seat. She also said it's not uncommon to have some issues with routes and other things at the beginning of the year.

Wood said the district has people who personally come out, check on issues and make adjustments, and they are still in that process.

At the bus stop Thursday, there didn't appear to be any issues.

Deangelo said a different bus picked up and dropped her daughter off. She said she had much more room on the new bus.

Deangelo said she hopes the district can find a permanent and safe solution.

"It's not OK," she said. "These people are trusted with our kids, and it's just scary to think -- you want these people to take care of your kids and make sure that they are safe and they are OK."