A white bus driver in Morgan County, Georgia, has lost his job after a video showed him pushing a pair of young Black siblings and telling them to get to the back of the bus!
The incident reportedly went down on Sept. 9 and stemmed from the bus driver — James O’Neil — telling a 6-year-old boy to sit at the back of the bus.
“The Morgan County Charter School System was made aware of an incident Friday afternoon involving a bus driver and students. We took immediate action, including notifying the Morgan County Sheriff’s Office, who we are working with during the investigation. We cannot share further details or comment due to this being a personnel issue; however, the driver was terminated,” a spokesperson noted in a statement, according to FOX 5 Atlanta.
Tina Knowles-Lawson, Beyoncé’s mother even shared the video and captioned it saying, “How is it he was just terminated! He should be charged with assault! Go to jail!! He pushed this kid and assaulted his sister!!! I am appalled,” she wrote beneath the video, seemingly referencing the school system’s initial statement on the situation.
In addition to the district officials, the children’s parents, Blake and Nequania “Nene” Carter, spoke out and alleged that the situation was racially motivated.
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“My son is terrified, he was scared, he called for his older sister as you could hear he was crying… he was horrified. You’re supposed to be protecting him,” Nene Carter said, according to Sis2Sis. “I don’t know why he told them to sit in the back of the bus because the high schoolers sit back there, and normally the primaries sit right behind the bus driver.”
Following an investigation, O’Neil was ultimately arrested this past Friday.
“The investigation resulted in the arrest of James O’Neil on two counts of simple battery,” Morgan County Chief Deputy Keith Howard said, the Morgan County Citizen reports. “While this was not a complex investigation, it was complicated by the allegation that the incident was perceived as being racially motivated.”