A Louisiana school bus driver has been released on bond after an incident in which he assaulted a student during his route.
Video footage, recorded by another passenger, captures the senior citizen, who was wearing a Navy cap, slapping and choking the student.
He is now facing charges of simple battery.
Miles Jenkins was working as a driver for the First Student school bus company at the time of the altercation on Monday, Oct. 30
A short clip of the video shows him pushing the Marrero Middle School student after the child attempts to leave his seat on the bus. At one point, he is seen slapping the boy across his face before the boy fights back and pushes the 77-year-old.
It is at this point that the older man smashes the young boy into the bus window and looks as if he is choking him.
A voice off-screen yells for him to “get off of him,” but he does not until a bit later.
The boy’s father reported the incident to authorities, and Jenkins was arrested on Tuesday, Oct. 31, by the Jefferson Parish Sheriff’s Office for his conduct and was awarded a $500 bond. Jenkins was released without paying the bond because the jail was overcrowded.
Since the incident, the man has resigned and is preparing to defend himself against child abuse charges.
First Student, the private bus company licensed to provide transportation for the students in the district, alleged that Jenkins had been trained, gone through federal and national risk management security screening, and still acted out of policy.
“At First Student, we invest heavily in the comprehensive training and ongoing development of our drivers,” an official said in a statement to Fox 8 Alive. “They receive an average of 40 hours of training before operating a bus, which is more than double the federal requirement. Drivers also go through regular enhancement training during their tenure with the company. We monitor driver performance daily and conduct annual evaluations.”
A representative of the school district, Kaela Lewis, said that the buses are under the school board’s “transportation vendor” and “all bus drivers who transport our Jefferson Parish Schools students undergo state and federal background checks” and added that there is training they also must undergo to work with kids.
“Once reported, district and school disciplinary policies are followed, and if necessary, appropriate disciplinary actions are taken,” Lewis said.
The district, which is located 10 miles from New Orleans, also stated it would be working with the JPSO to ensure that justice is met for the child.
Authorities are investigating the incident and have not released information regarding what led to the altercation.
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